July 25, 2015
Are 9265 signatures enough to convince someone somewhere that South Burnett residents really value their private hospital in Kingaroy and want to keep it open?
South Burnett Mayor Wayne Kratzmann announced at Friday morning’s supporters’ rally that 8712 signed submission forms had been received back at Council just a week after the campaign was launched.
But by the end of Friday another 553 forms, collected by local businesses, added to the tally.
That’s 9265 signatures collected in just over a week from a region that only has about 33,500 residents in total – men, women and children!
Supporters of the South Burnett Private Hospital gathered from 7:00am on Friday to hear local GP Dr Debbie Tellam add her support for the hospital, and listen to another impassioned plea from Mayor Kratzmann.
The red balloons, T-shirts, stickers and a live broadcast by CROW-FM added a colourful air to the rally but there was a serious message: 70 jobs have been lost since the hospital doors closed on June 30, and local residents could well die if another hospital operator cannot be convinced to take it over.
Mayor Kratzmann said a magnificent facility was not being used “and that can’t be allowed to continue”.
He pledged to continue to do his utmost to find a provider.
“Hopefully I can get back to you in a week or two with some good news; if we don’t have good news I can assure it won’t be for the lack of trying,” he said.
Kingaroy Rotary Club members were kept busy dispensing bacon and egg muffins, donated by SupaIGA to help the cause.
Amongst the crowd were many former nurses from the hospital hopeful a new operator will be found quickly.
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Related articles:
- Huge Response To Hospital Campaign
- Mayor Appeals For Public Support
- Council Still Looking For Hospital Operator
- Still A Glimmer Of Hope For Hospital
- Hospital Deadline Looming
- Council In Talks With Qld Health
- Why We Need Our Private Hospital
- Closure Would Be ‘Absolute Disaster’
- Fingers Crossed For Private Hospital
- Mayor Off To Brisbane For Hospital Talks
- Mayor Gutted Over Hospital Closure
- Hospital Discussions ‘Fruitful’
- May Day Call To Save Hospital
- Hospital Renovations Begin Soon
- Glimpse Into A Healthy Future
- Pulse Confirms It Will Run Hospital
- Hospital Talks ‘Progressing Well’
- Pulse ‘Highly Likely’ To Run Hospital
- Pulse ‘Keen To Run Hospital’
- Council To Run Private Hospital
- Talks On Hospital Future
Have every person that signed the petitions put up $100 each, form a co-operative and go from there.
What More Can We Do? Ideas welcome? Think-Tank it perhaps? Put our money where our mouth is? Could the community & local businesses raise the funds to take over the hospital? Run it as a Community Co-operative? Have a board of directors or an experienced medical manager?
Could it become a section of the Kingaroy Public Hospital? We hear how KPH won’t be able to handle all the extra patients…
If the 9265 contributed $1 each that’s $9265…$2 each = $18,530, $100 each = $926,500. It would soon add up with fund raising.
Friends of the hospital membership fee raising.
If we as a community can raise 9265 signatures in 8/9 days what can a community do by the 30th September? 67 DAYS?
Plenty, I reckon.
While I like your idea of using it as part of the General Hospital I certainly won’t be putting my hand up to include $100. I already pay rates, taxes, Medicare levy and private health insurance – if I keep handing out money I won’t be able to afford to live!