Doctors frustrated with the State Government’s refusal to release shelved hospital master plan

Local doctors have voiced ongoing frustration with the State Government’s refusal to even talk about the hospital’s shelved master plan.

Speaking with the Times this week in the aftermath of the WA branch of the Australian Medical Association last week demanding the plan’s release, GPs including GP specialists said the failure to invest in the future of Margaret River Hospital was short-sighted.

They said Labor’s refusal to dignify AMA WA president Michael Page’s call was on a par with concerns doctors had previously cited with the relocation of Perth’s main maternity hospital.

“But because we are down here in the boonies, it’s just so easy for us to be overlooked,” one medico said.

Opposition candidates for next month’s State election also shared their concerns with Labor’s refusal to release the hospital plan and business case for industry scrutiny.

Nationals candidate Bevan Eatts said he was committed to releasing the stalled plan if elected.

“The fact that doctors and healthcare workers have been kept in the dark about this vital project shows just how little Labor values transparency,” he told the Times.

“Doctors are leaving, the hospital is struggling to cope with demand, and yet the Cook Labor Government is funnelling all its resources into Bunbury while completely neglecting the healthcare needs of Margaret River and the surrounding communities.”

Liberal Party contender Wade De Campo echoed the AMA’s argument to release the plan, saying updated facilities were needed to retain doctors and nurses, as well as cater to tourists and population growth.

“It is now abundantly clear that everyone is on the same page in relation to MRH except for Roger Cook and Labor,” he said.

“Labor are failing in the bush by having a city-centric Bunbury and Perth-focused health stance.”

A State Government spokesperson reiterated previous advice the release of the documents could affect “future tender and procurement processes” and they were “considered Cabinet-in-confidence and commercial-in-confidence”.

Last week, Dr Page said the hospital’s four-bed emergency department couldn’t meet the demand from about 50 patients a day during the summer, resulting in bed shortages.

The AMA WA chief said growth in retirees across the region meant the hospital also needed to cater to “complex presentations” and reduce the need for cancer patients and other sufferers to travel north.