March 15, 2016
Health is a State matter but Kingaroy Hospital should have a new advocate in Canberra following a visit to the region by Senator James McGrath last week.
The Queensland Senator, who is Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, came to the South Burnett to tour the Kingaroy General Hospital and learn more about the Lady Bjelke-Petersen Community Hospital project.
(And, of course, there’s local, Federal and possibly State elections in the air.)
Senator McGrath began his visit by dropping into the Senior Citizens building in Avoca Street, Kingaroy, to inspect the extensions recently opened by SBcare. He also took the opportunity to discuss the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) with SBcare CEO Cheryl Dalton.
He then moved on to Kingaroy Hospital where he was greeted by Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington, Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service South Burnett Cluster Operations Manager Peta Rutherford and hospital staff members.
Also accompanying Senator McGrath on his tour were South Burnett mayoral candidate Cr Damien Tessmann and Division 4 candidate Andrew Saal.
The group inspected the demountable Allied Health Services building, before walking across to the main hospital and navigating the maze of narrow corridors and stairs that make up the daily working conditions for hospital staff.
The visitors dropped into the Accident and Emergency area where Senator McGrath learned that because of good support by local GPs, the workload for minor complaints had lessened, but the seriousness of the cases that did present was high.
Apart from the lack of space – the group quickly moved on to get out of the way – another problem in the casualty room was that not all treatment cubicles in the section could be seen from the main nursing station.
Senator McGrath also visited the general wards, labour ward and birthing unit.
He seemed genuinely shocked by the fact that the hospital’s labor ward, birthing rooms and nursery were so far apart; the lack of some toilet facilities was also a concern.
Kingaroy General Hospital is the largest non-specialist birthing unit in Queensland with an average of between 400 and 450 births a year.
There are two birthing suites but Kingaroy Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr RT Lewandowski said babies were sometimes delivered in the ward “because we just have to”.
Mrs Rutherford said Kingaroy Hospital had 41 beds and six renal unit chairs, and ran at and average 86 per cent capacity. She said that in rural hospitals, an average of 85 per cent was usually considered “full”.
She said on some occasions, patients were transferred to Nanango, Murgon, Cherbourg or Wondai hospitals to free up beds.
“Day surgery days are our biggest,” she said.
The group then visited the Griffith University study centre at Kingaroy Hospital and the former Farrhome nursing care unit which has been vacant since the facility closed in March 2013.
Mrs Rutherford said the community had been promised that the Farrhome building would not be used for administration.
Currently under consideration is a proposal to relocate Kingaroy Community Health from the Glendon Street car park into the building as well as entering into a partnership with Griffith University for an oral health training area, which would have 10 dental students and six student dental chairs.
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There is three more hospitals in the South Burnett at Nanango, Murgon and Cherbourg. These facilities have been overlooked by campaigning candidates, politicians and health board representatives. These hospitals – including Wondai’s combined aged care hospital – have faded into the twilight zone of political posturing. Are they to be closed?
The possibility of Kingaroy being converted to a Base Hospital when it is eventually replaced was raised at a Candidates’ Forum held in Kingaroy last Wednesday night. Candidates generally agreed that Base Hospital status would mean the closure of Murgon, Wondai and Nanango hospitals, and said they were opposed to this.