Wee Waa Community Demands Action on Hospital Crisis

Published on 25 November 2024

Narrabri Shire Council is standing with the Wee Waa community as they demand urgent action from Hunter New England Health and the New South Wales Government to address the resourcing issues that are facing with the Wee Waa Hospital.

Council has been a strong advocate for the adequate and ongoing staffing and funding of the Wee Waa Hospital in recent years. Alongside several motions passed at council meetings, Council has also written numerous letters and attended many meetings with Hunter New England Health and the New South Wales Government about these resourcing concerns. Council shares the community’s frustration with the lack of action that has been shown by Hunter New England Health and will continue to advocate for the desired outcomes.

Residents are being encouraged to attend a community meeting tomorrow morning at 10.30am at the Wee Waa Hospital to voice their concerns. Narrabri Shire Mayor Darrell Tiemens will be joining councillors and community members at the meeting to show Council’s support.

Currently the Wee Waa Hospital operates between 8.00am and 5.30pm as an emergency department only, with a limited number of nurses to handle cases. Council has been made aware that the Acting Hospital Manager has resigned, there is no doctor on-site, and that the hospital is having to utilise telehealth consultations for cases that could be better managed by the provision of in-person care.

“If senior officials or state leaders experienced serious medical emergencies such as a stroke or snakebite, they would not settle for telehealth services. This lack of equity and fairness for our rural communities is unacceptable”, states Mayor Tiemens.

“The Wee Waa community are not asking for facilities like Royal North Shore Hospital but do expect a fully operational hospital offering 24/7 emergency services, inpatient care, and palliative services. The Narrabri Shire and its residents significantly contribute to the economy, and it is not unreasonable for the community to expect that these contributions are acknowledged through the provision of services such as those being sought after at the Wee Waa Hospital”.

“The Wee Waa Hospital is a vital community service that is relied upon by residents from Wee Waa, Rowena, Pilliga, Cuttabri, Burren Junction, Merah North, Spring Plains, and beyond”, said Mayor Tiemens.

“And, when it is functioning at its full capacity it ensures there is not an additional strain on Narrabri Hospital”.

Mayor Tiemens adds, “the local community has poured its time, effort, and resources into fundraising for the hospital over many decades, so they rightly feel that this is their hospital, a community asset, and not just a facility owned by the State”.

Council strongly believes that once the Wee Waa Hospital is downgraded or closed, it will not be reinstated.

 “The senior executives and bureaucrats at Hunter New England Health are paid to find solutions to these types of issues, yet the community has seen no meaningful progress. It’s time for the Health Minister and Premier to honour their commitments, support rural communities, and ensure basic healthcare needs are met. I urge them to put their money where their mouth is”.

The Wee Waa Hospital Community Meeting is being held on Tuesday 26 November 2024 at 10.30am at the Wee Waa Hospital. All residents are encouraged to attend.