Brendan Catanzariti says a rehab ward is urgently needed at Griffith Base Hospital. Photo: Denny Fachin.
Serious questions are being asked about why Griffith Base Hospital still lacks permanent orthopaedic services and an operational rehabilitation ward, years after both were promised, with critics warning the failures are harming patients.
Griffith residents have long been forced to travel two hours to Wagga Wagga for treatment after breaking a bone, due to the absence of local orthopaedic services.
That was meant to change in 2022, when the Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) announced it had appointed two orthopaedic surgeons based in Wagga who would also service Griffith.
However, Region understands one of those surgeons never commenced work in Griffith, and that patients with fractures are still being sent to Wagga when presenting at the emergency ward.
The hospital’s long-promised rehabilitation ward is also yet to open, despite assurances from NSW Health Minister Ryan Park that it would be operating in 2025 as part of the new hospital redevelopment.
“We have a rehabilitation ward sitting there empty because MLHD refuses to staff it,” health advocate Brendan Catanzariti said.
“Doctors met with MLHD with a plan to have the ward operating by March 2025, but nothing has happened.
“There are Griffith patients stuck in Wagga who want to come home to be near their families, but they can’t because there is no rehabilitation ward.
“The community and staff are suffering because of MLHD mismanagement.”
Murray MP Helen Dalton said the same mismanagement was behind the continued transfer of Griffith patients to Wagga after presenting to the emergency department with fractures.
“The failure of orthopaedic services in Griffith is not the fault of doctors, patients or the local community,” Ms Dalton said.
“It is the result of systemic mismanagement and chronic neglect by hospital administration and the broader health district.”
Region asked the MLHD if emergency orthopaedics was being done at Griffith Base Hospital and why the rehab ward still wasn’t open.
It refused to answer these questions, but provided the following comments.
“We are committed to ensuring our patients can receive the care they need as close to home as possible,” MLHD Executive Director Medical Services Professor Len Bruce said.
“Staged commissioning has always been the plan, and services will scale up progressively in line with demand and available workforce to ensure the delivery of high-quality and safe care to our patients into the future.
“Planning is now underway for the commissioning of the new rehabilitation ward and emergency department short stay unit.
“New services already commissioned since the opening of the new hospital include additional operating theatre capacity and orthopaedic surgery.
“Griffith Base Hospital currently has three orthopaedic surgeons operating in the hospital. Prior to the opening of the new Griffith Base Hospital, orthopaedic surgery for public patients was performed at St Vincent’s Private Hospital.”
However, Ms Dalton said MLHD still didn’t understand how orthopaedic services operated.
“Orthopaedic surgeons do not routinely apply or remove casts — that work is usually done by plaster technicians and allied health staff,” she said.
“In Griffith, those support staff are often missing altogether. On some clinic days, there is only a single clinician where there should be junior doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and allied health support. That is not safe, sustainable or acceptable.”
Ms Dalton also raised concerns about a lack of investment in theatre equipment.
“The community is entitled to ask a serious question: is Griffith being set up to fail so services can be centralised elsewhere?” she said.
Mr Catanzariti said the current problems at Griffith Base Hospital would drive doctors away if it was not urgently addressed.
“People often don’t pay attention to the hospital until they need it and get a rude shock,” he said.
“But a hospital can’t function properly without a rehabilitation ward.
“It means surgeons can’t operate because some surgical beds are taken up by patients who should be in rehab. It also means the hospital loses activity funding.
“If this continues, doctors will leave Griffith — and then we’ll be in real trouble.”
If you know more about this story, call Oliver on 0498 843 181 or email: [email protected]
