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NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has created a cloud of confusion over the Bowral and District Hospital redevelopment after a visit to the region on Wednesday.
The Premier made a visit to Bundanoon Preschool on February 28 but was unable to avoid questions about the hospital, in particular the promised renal dialysis unit.
A full satellite renal dialysis service was announced in November 2017 and was scheduled to be built alongside the hospital redevelopment.
However, patients have since been told by the South Western Sydney Local Health District they would have to wait until the redevelopment was completed in 2021.
Earlier this month, Wollondilly MP Jai Rowell said this was unacceptable and that he would fight to have the service sooner.
However, Ms Berejiklian said the community may still have to wait.
“When you do a major upgrade you do it in stages and of course we appreciate the distance people have to travel to get treatment and we are trying to reduce that where possible,” she said.
“The community is already in consultation with the [health] minister and of course I commend our local members for pushing the case and if we can bring some parts forward we will.”
Meanwhile, Mr Rowell said he hoped to see the dialysis service operational by his retirement next year.
“I know that the [health district] is talking about it being delivered in 2021 and obviously there are some logistical reasons for that with the upgrade happening,” he said.
“But I’m determined to make sure that we have that service in months, not years; the people of the Southern Highlands deserve it.”
The $50 million redevelopment of the hospital officially began in December, but community group Public Health First (PHF) claimed works would deliver a lesser number of beds.
There are currently 91 beds at the hospital, however PHF said the State Significant Development Application stated that there would be only 83 beds after the redevelopment.
When asked whether there would be less beds, Ms Berejiklian said “no, not at all.”
“When you upgrade a major facility and you provide those new modern facilities it needs to be taken into consideration what you’re doing in the region,” she said.
PHF member Peter Edwards was not happy with the response.
“That information has come from their [the government’s] documents,” he said.
“How she can dispute that is quite shocking.”
The November 2017 Amended Clinical Services Plan (CSP) projected the need for 109 beds by 2021, which will not be delivered. However, Ms Berejiklian said more emphasis was being placed on community-based health care.
“Those CSP beds are determined by the experts and we have to remember also that we’ve increased the presence of community-based health care,” she said.
“People are staying in hospitals for a shorter period of time, hospitals are for acute services and what we've managed to do in Bowral and the Southern Highlands is boost our community-based health care.”
PHF has continuously voiced that $50 million would not be enough to adequately upgrade the hospital, and that an additional $110 million was needed.
Ms Berejiklian said the NSW Government would push for more funding if it was needed.
“We always rely on the experts when it comes to working out the dollars that comes with hospital upgrades,” she said.
“We’ve made the initial commitment of $50 million and if we can do more we will. We certainly have the commitment to improve health services as much as possible in the Southern Highlands.”