Dr Labiv was at the hospital at the weekend and as of Monday it seemed pretty definite that a locum was coming to the hospital and would be available until Dr Chan returns from leave this coming weekend.

Council raised very strong objections and represented our community’s concern direct to the Greater Western Area Health Service CEO and via the media about not having a doctor present at our hospital for the period of time Dr Chan was on leave.

This situation can be likened to turning up at a bushfire in a tanker without water, or having a town on a riverbank with no flood levee.

Dr Chan gave notice of his leave last October, plenty of time it would seem for the agency that sources locums on behalf of GWAHS to have a locum organised to fill the vacancy.

Our efforts to have Dr Brown given short-term visiting medical officer (VMO) rights to the hospital to cover any local emergency admissions was not accepted by GWAHS.

The ability of local nursing staff to attend to initial admission is not questioned, however as everyone knows, more urgent cases of accidents or illnesses need the attention of a doctor.

Anybody arriving in this condition has to be transferred by ambulance to another hospital (Warren, Cobar or Dubbo) before receiving treatment from a doctor.

Our local hospital was offering locums $1200 per day plus travelling and accommodation via the agency to try and attract someone.

Some form of legislative control needs to be put on what reasonable amount per day can be paid to locums to avoid smaller hospitals being disadvantaged.

Efforts being made by area health services to provide alternates to having a doctor present at a hospital must not compete with or undermine efforts by the wider medical profession to encourage and attract doctors to rural centres like ours.

Council will be sending a strong letter to GWAHS and the minister indicating our serious concerns about not having a doctor at our new hospital in a shire our size, on a busy highway with a mine.