Dark day for hospital

THE NSW government has come under fire from the head of the Australian Medical Association after the removal of physician training from Shellharbour Hospital.

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians withdrew accreditation for basic physician training at Shellharbour last month after a damning report from the college found a shortage of senior doctors at the hospital had lead to a lack of supervision and high workloads for the students.

Shellharbour Hospital is now operating without a resident physician, while visiting medical officers have been forced to spread their resources over three hospitals in the area health service, leading to the supervision shortage.

"The NSW Government failed to provide for medical training in the last budget," AMA President Dr Andrew Keegan said.

"We are losing our ability to train junior doctors and with that medical services are compromised.

"We will soon see an increase in the number of medical graduates.

"At the same time, it appears there is little effort being put into providing them with the postgraduate training they will need to maintain the high quality of care Australians expect from their doctors.

"It is time for the State Govern-ment to provide certainty for the medical work force, instead of ad hoc dependence on locums and temporary doctors.

"Work force planning is vital."

Expressing her disappointment in the removal of the hospital's training facilities, Member for Shellharbour Lylea McMahon said she was hopeful Shellharbour's accreditation would soon be restored.

"I welcome the news that a 10-point plan has been developed involving the senior clinicians," she said.

"The accreditation can be restored at any time and I am extremely hopeful that with the implementation of the 10-point plan we will be able to get it back up and running in the not too distant future.

"I intend to closely oversee the progress of the 10-point plan with a view to ensuring that accreditation be restored."

Refusing to believe the State Government's budget played a role in the shortage of facilities at Shellharbour, Ms McMahon said it was now important to try to get the decision overturned as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Illawarra International Health Precinct has weighed into the accreditation debate.

Dr Brett Gooley, who is behind the plan to build a major new private hospital in Albion Park, said it was a sad day for the hospital.

"Medical Training places are essential for the future of high quality health provision which is why the new Private Health Precinct I am planning to build, specifically aims to provide Training Places in partnership with the University of Wollongong.

This plan is not in opposition to Shellharbour," he said.