RESIDENTS claim that Tomaree Hospital is sending patients to Taree Hospital to be treated due to an overloaded John Hunter Hospital and an ineffective facility in Port Stephens.

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Wendy Secco of Shoal Bay worked in the hospital health system for many years and during her recent admission to Tomaree Hospital she found it to be lacking.

Wendy told News Of The Area, “I can’t get over how small and inefficient Tomaree Hospital is with no x-ray facilities; it leaves doctors frustrated and unable to effectively diagnose patients in their care.”

Wendy also expressed real concerns over the volume of bus traffic on Nelson Bay Road and the inability of the current facility to deal with a large scale traffic incident.

Wendy’s elderly neighbour was recently transported to Bulahdelah Hospital and then to Taree Hospital for specialist assessment and x-rays.

Kate Washington member for Port Stephens said, “This is an utterly unacceptable scenario, the community has been calling out for x-ray and ultrasound capacity at Tomaree Hospital for many years now.”

“I’ve also raised it in Parliament, and the government has failed to act; the fact that aged and frail residents are having to travel 2 hours to Taree to get something as simple as an x-ray is disgusting,”

“This is what happens when the government doesn’t adequately resource the health system.”

“Our hardworking doctors and nurses ought to have the tools they need so that they can tend to the health needs of our community; instead, the government is placing lives at risk by failing to provide basic diagnostic tools at Tomaree Hospital.”

“Our community deserves so much better,” she said.

While Wendy advocates for better equipment and facilities at Tomaree Hospital she praised staff on the quality of care she received which was fantastic.

By Marian SAMPSON