Former orthopaedic surgeon and South Canterbury District Health Board member Peter Binns explains why people should be concerned about plans to transfer authority from Timaru Hospital to Dunedin.
The people of South Canterbury should be aware and alarmed about Te Whatu Ora’s proposal to disestablish leadership positions at Timaru Hospital and transfer authority to Dunedin.
The proposal seems to have been made in haste and without evidence that it will be good for the efficiency or effectiveness of our local health services.
It has the look of a costcutting move rather than a way to improve services.
In the real world of health service delivery, it seems to defy common sense.
Timaru Hospital plays a vital role at the centre of the South Island; it is a well-equipped centre of ‘‘secondary care’’.
During the District Health Board period it operated within budget, catered well for the basic medical and surgical needs of our population, and was able to carry out planned surgery for the people of Oamaru and Ashburton.
This service helps ease pressure on the waiting lists in Christchurch and Dunedin.
Timaru will always need access to the very specialised services available in Christchurch and Dunedin, and that is how medicine operates — in a collegial and cooperative way.
In many ways Timaru Hospital is ideally positioned and sized for this role.
For many years it has been the first choice of graduating medical students for their first posting.
The experience gained here is seen as invaluable. It would be a tragedy were this to be disrupted.
In August, Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti referred to ‘‘underperforming hospitals’’ without any explanation of what he meant.
Clearly this criticism cannot be applied to Timaru Hospital.
We need to strongly advocate for our Public Health Service in general, a service which has had overwhelming public support since its institution 80 years ago by a visionary government, which had at heart the welfare of a population who had just weathered a great global crisis.
The Ministry’s proposal is plainly an ill-advised attempt to cut costs. It is simply robbing Peter to pay Paul.
As far as South Canterbury is concerned, it could well be the first cut of ‘‘death by a thousand cuts’’ to our services in Timaru.
Furthermore, it would increase the burden on an already overburdened Dunedin who are already facing massive cuts of their own.
During the Crown Health Enterprise days when authority rested in Christchurch, funds were leached away from Timaru, never to be returned.
We should see this as a precedent to what will likely happen if the present proposals go ahead.
It is essential right now that we, as a community, express appreciation that our currently strong, autonomous hospital works well within a network of other South Island hospitals.
Timaru’s clinical leadership team are currently doing their utmost to deliver the healthcare patients need in a timely manner.
We want to keep it that way.
It is vital that clinical and operational leadership remains here in Timaru, with our area retaining its own chief medical officer and substantial regional autonomy.
All hospitals are struggling with funding constraints.
It is the professionalism, collegiality and dedication of the staff that keeps the system going.
With more resources at its disposal, Timaru Hospital’s vital role between the two big centres could be enhanced to everyone’s benefit. That would be common sense in action.
Take Action
- By signing the petition at www.change.org
- Join the gathering on Saturday, December 14 at 10am at the War Memorial in Queen St to stand up for our Timaru Hospital, show you care.
