Hospital dramas continuing
November 27, 2008
Section: News
The community have made it clear that they won’t let Bulli Hospital stop surgeries without a fight.
And stakeholders pointed to local history, notably the success of protestors in stopping the closure of Coledale Hospital in the mid 1990s, as an example of the formidable “people power” that exists in the northern Illawarra.
Local groups and unions came together last week to warn the Area Health Service and government that residents are not prepared to accept the planned closure of the hospital’s operating theatres, announced in October and slated to come into effect after Christmas.
Representatives of the Northern Illawarra Chamber of Commerce, Neighbourhood Committees one and two, Northern Illawarra Residents Actions Group, NSW Nurses Association and the South Coast Labour Council were among the groups who met last Thursday to outline their resolve.
An official statement was later released, outlining their intention to defend the hospital’s role as a surgery provider to the local community.
“The Northern Illawarra community has a proud history of defending its health services such as Coledale Hospital and is prepared to do the same in the future if such a campaign is required,” the statement’s closing paragraph reads.
The group also demanded that the State Government make the Area Health Service form a consultative body to consider any major changes and has expressed concerns about possible inconvenience and reductions of services caused by the proposed cessation of surgery at Bulli.
