What was supposed to be sweet and sour pork ended up leaving Junee resident Catherine McGee disgusted during her trip to Wagga Base Hospital. Photos: Catherine McGee.
Patients at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital have recently criticised the quality of meals they’ve been served, while a local producer has questioned why the health bureaucracy imports frozen meals from outside the Riverina to the nation’s fresh-food bowl.
The hospital meals are sourced from various suppliers that may be outside Wagga. A private provider supplies pre-packaged meals, which are delivered frozen, then heated before service.
Junee resident Catherine McGee recently criticised a dish she received at the hospital, venting on social media.
“This was supposed to be sweet and sour pork? And no, if you’re thinking this was a half-eaten plate, you’re mistaken, this was how it came. It looks like cat vomit,” she said in a Facebook post (photo above).
A Gundagai resident who has been in and out of Wagga Base for 25 years and asked to remain anonymous said she had seen her fair share of disgusting meals at the hospital and that the quality of food depended on the ward.
“If you happen to be lucky enough to be in the rehab ward, you can order exactly what you want,” she said.
“If you just want a slice of meat, mashed potato and some mashed pumpkin, that’s what you get.
“You end up on ortho or surgical and you’re up s**t creek.”
The woman said she was constantly confused by Wagga Base’s track record of poor food, saying that smaller places such as Gundagai Hospital produced better meals.
“Out there, you’d think they had a chef cooking from scratch compared to here,” she said.
Wagga Base Hospital’s chicken curry.
Owner of ready-made meals supplier Farm Door Riverina, Zoe Lamont, expressed her confusion about why the hospital imports food from other parts of the country to a region famous for its high-quality produce.
“We’re massive advocates of people eating locally and seasonally,” Ms Lamont said.
“It’s disappointing that the governing bodies of the hospital are deciding where the food is coming from and not choosing to have it come from local providers.
“We get asked by even doctors and nurses to see if we can provide meals to the hospital, but it’s impossible to start a discussion with them because [health bureaucracy the Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD)] refers you to somewhere else, who then refers you to someone else.
“As a parent and not a business owner, thank God you can bring your own food into the hospital because what they supply their patients is inedible.
“When people are trying to heal, like, it just doesn’t make any sense not to give people good, nutritious food.”
Region contacted Wagga Base Hospital’s governing body, MLHD, to ask where the hospital sourced its meals and whether it believed the food in the above photos was suitable for patient consumption.
MLHD also referred us elsewhere, to another bureaucracy, HealthShare NSW, which is responsible for food service in public hospitals.
“We acknowledge that the meals served to the patient referred to [in the photos in this article] do not meet expectations,” a HealthShare NSW spokesperson said.
“We apologise to the patient who received those meals, and we are currently investigating.
“HealthShare NSW employs more than 2200 staff to provide approximately 24 million meals to NSW public hospital patients across the state each year. Hospital kitchens vary in size and functionality, with food preparation undertaken at each site.
”Meals at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital are sourced from various suppliers. Pre-packaged meals are delivered frozen, plated as per portion control requirements, then heated prior to service. Fruit is offered with every meal and afternoon snack.”
Know more about this story or want to share your hospital experience? Email: [email protected].
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