Former CEO of rural advocacy group Healthy Communities Foundation Mark Burdack (right) has led conversations with major stakeholders, including NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park (left), around regional healthcare delivery for more than a decade. Photo: Supplied.
Former CEO of rural advocacy group Healthy Communities Foundation Mark Burdack has called for clearer communication between health services and regional communities as the debate around splitting the Murrumbidgee Local Health District continues.
Recent months have seen many leaders in the western Riverina push to remove Griffith and the surrounding areas from the purview of the Wagga-based Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD).
Leading the charge has been Member for Murray Helen Dalton, who said the split would provide a more community-focused healthcare system with better resources while giving the community the ability to make decisions about their health services.
Member for Wagga Dr Joe McGirr has opposed Ms Dalton’s push for a split, instead calling for the introduction of the Rural Health Action Plan, which looks to restructure the way regional health is delivered and operated.
While both opinions have received support, rural health expert and former CEO of Healthy Communities Foundation Mark Burdack believes the issues plaguing both areas are the decisions being made by those running the district and their ability to communicate them.
“I think that the challenge is to run an effective health service within the resources that are available while also maintaining community trust and confidence in the services that are being provided,” Mr Burdack said.
“I think good health services are being delivered efficiently through the local health district, but there is clearly a continuing challenge with convincing communities, particularly smaller, rural and remote communities, that the decisions that are being made align with their local interests.”
Mr Burdack highlighted that many communities were citing the loss of doctors and health services that led to smaller communities looking to leave major health districts.
“In those small communities, the health services are not working consistently in their (the remote communities’) interests and need to show that the services they do have are actually aligned with their needs,” he said.
“I think what Joe’s saying and what Helen’s saying are actually the same things.
“I think there’s a lot that could be done within Joe’s Rural Health Action Plan to further empower local communities. I also think the features of that plan are some of the things that Helen is looking to have addressed in her part of the Murrumbidgee.”
Mr Burdack emphasised the need for health services to appropriately consult with communities and patients to form trust.
“I do think that the current structures are clearly not perceived by local communities as responsive to their needs,” he said.
“The accessibility and availability of services are a critical component of good healthcare.
“What we know is that community consultation leads to a stronger sense of ownership, stronger commitment by local people to supporting healthcare provision in the community, better support for doctors and better health outcomes for communities.”
Make a submission to an inquiry on Murray MP Helen Dalton’s proposal to split the Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) before 19 December, or show your support for Wagga MP Dr Joe McGirr’s Rural Health Action Plan.
