DOCTOR services have been restored at Barham Hospital after a bureaucratic stand-off.
A contractual agreement between Murrumbidgee Local Health District, which oversees the Barham health service, and Ochre Health had been providing doctors to the hospital for the past five years, a deal that was extended by 14 months until November 30.
But once the deadline was reached, the hospital was left without a doctor for an unspecified short period.
Ochre Health doctor workforce general manager Damian Pennyfield told The Guardian there was now a short-term contract in place between MLHD and Ochre Health until February to provide doctors.
Ochre Health operates a separate medical centre in Barham with two doctors available.
“The original service contract was required to go to public tender after a five-year period, with extension provisions having now been exhausted,” Mr Pennyfield said.
It is understood MLHD is undertaking a tender process for the future provision of medical services at Barham Hospital over the next three years.
“Ochre Health has formally submitted our tender response and we understand it is currently being evaluated,” Mr Pennyfield said.
A statement released by MHLD sought to assure local residents that the hospital was staffed, and it networked with other facilities across the district and state to provide care to the local community.
The nearest service was Kerang District Health at its urgent care centre at Swan Hill at its emergency department.
“MLHD urges local residents to present to the hospital emergency department if they require urgent assessment and treatment,” it said.
“Patients’ access to their usual GP’s premises is not impacted.
“In the event that a doctor is unavailable on site, staff have on-demand virtual access to senior clinicians who specialise in emergency medicine.
“Barham Hospital is also staffed by skilled registered nurses working across the inpatient unit and emergency department.”
MLHD was also recently in the spotlight after the shock mass resignation of the Moulamein Local Health Advisory Committee, citing frustrations about not being listened to by MLHD as community representatives.
