Lucindale’s Cheryl “Fitzy” Fitzgerald has only praise for the Lucindale nurse who three years ago saved her leg, and possibly her life.
During a farming accident her leg was impaled on a gear stick of an old tractor.
Taken to the Naracoorte Hospital, her wound was stitched and bandaged and the days flicked by.
“My leg was getting really swollen and painful. I was so sick and nauseous on this one day that I went and saw nurse Ali at the health centre. Thank God I did. My leg was full of poison,” Ms Fitzgerald said.
“I know now that if it wasn’t for nurse Ali’s good nursing, brilliant nursing, I would have lost my leg. Perhaps my life.”
So Ms Fitzgerald was shocked recently when she tried to make an appointment for a blood test at Lucindale.
“First my call was diverted to an answering machine in Naracoorte. So I left a message,” she said.
“There was no return call. So, I rang again. Someone took all my details. She said someone else would ring me back for an appointment.
“I said `well, can’t you tell me now when the appointment is?’ and she said ‘no. It has to go to someone else to make the appointment.’ I said `where are they?’ and she said `sitting next to me’.
Ms Fitzgerald rolled her eyes and tapped the table in frustration at the memory.
“They eventually rang back and said my appointment would be at 10am the following week. In a week’s time!” she exclaimed.
“Whoever it was said I could drive to Naracoorte. I said I could not drive to Naracoorte.
“The thing is, before they made the changes you could ring the health centre here and make an appointment for the following day. Or you could go down there and make an appointment for the following day.”
Ms Fitzgerald is one of many eager for consultation with the $243 million Limestone Coast Local Health Network (LCLHN) that recently slashed the nursing service.
“I hope it’s soon. Fuel tax has gone up. Petrol has gone up. Not everyone can afford to go back and forth the 80km round trip to Naracoorte to get a bandage wrapped every two days,” Ms Fitzgerald said.
“And there’s a lot of sick and older people who can’t even drive.”
Leanne Graetz had a similar experience while trying to make an appointment, and was told to go to Naracoorte.
She believes cutting the Lucindale service just puts more pressure on Naracoorte’s already stretched services.
“I can’t understand why the health department wants to destroy our nursing service that has worked so well for so many years,” she said.
One couple returned from holidays a week early specifically to have their second shingles vaccine injection.
They do not want to be named, but clearly written on their appointment card is 1.45 pm, February 21. Another person had an earlier appointment on the same day, also written on a card.
But arriving for their vaccines, the health centre was locked, and so they waited, and waited – for decades vaccination day had always been the third Wednesday of the month.
“They had changed our appointments to another day without even letting us know,” the woman said.
Isobel Carracher visited the health centre to try and make an appointment, but it was closed with a phone number on the door.
“I rang the number and asked `what is happening with the health centre?’ and the (person) on the other end said `Oh, it’s just closed at the moment. We are trying to extend the services. I said, `what, with the door shut?’
“I have phoned again and got the answering machine. They ring back and tell you to go to Naracoorte.
“We would like the service to return to what it was. There was nothing wrong with it before.”
William Irwin-James said he did not know there was new management until he had his stitches out late last year following an operation.
“They gave me a bill, and then they billed me again for some mysterious thing. We just paid the bill – what else can you do?” he said.
“I have a veteran’s gold card for all medical expenses, but they didn’t want to know about it.”
His wife Irene suffered an aneurysm last year and collapsed in Lucindale’s main street.
“Since my aneurysm, I cannot drive – I cannot go to Naracoorte for appointments. If something happens to my husband, what will happen to me, and people like me?”
Health Minister Chris Picton has maintained he was not responsible for the decision to change nursing services – it was the LCLHN.
Consultation was ordered three weeks ago by Mr Picton following a high-powered meeting with Independent Member for MacKillop Nick McBride, Mayor Patrick Ross, Avenue’s Ashely Reynolds and others involving Tintinara and Coonalpyn as well as public servants.
“I hope it (consultation) is not another empty promise,” Ms Fitzgerald said.
Mr Picton and SA Health’s media advisors were contacted for comment. None were received before deadline for press.
Hood challenges State Govt
Slashed nursing services at Lucindale, Tintinara and Coonalpyn “is a failure of the Local Health Networks and Health Minister, Chris Picton”, Liberal Upper House member Ben Hood MLC said in response to the community’s concerns.
“As a Minister of the Crown, Chris Picton has the power to intervene and, at the very least, cause a review of these decisions that were made without the knowledge of anyone in the local community, let alone local GPs and health practitioners, who are on the frontline in the regions.
“For the Minister to wash his hands of this problem and blame it squarely on the Local Health Networks is an abrogation of his duty and of the Labor Government’s election commitments.
“In Premier Malinauskas’ pre-election Limestone Coast Health policy document, he committed to “listen to country doctors” and to “work with country doctors to address critical workforce shortages”.
“Clearly, these were just empty words, as the Naracoorte [Community] News reported last week that Robe and Lucindale GP, Dr David Senior, hadn’t “heard a thing” from the Limestone Coast LHN over these changes.
“Sadly, this should not come as a surprise for residents of the South East. Lucindale Post Office owner, Geoff Robinson, raised these concerns direct with the Health Minister at their Country Cabinet in October 2023.
“For at least five months then, the Labor Government has been aware of moves by the LHN to cut services in Lucindale.
“It is therefore completely disingenuous for Chris Picton to claim, as he says multiple times now, that he is willing to listen and engage with the local communities affected by these cruel decisions.”
Mr Hood said residents and health professionals have spoken loudly and Mr Picton has had ample time to listen, now it was time to act.
This article appeared in the Naracoorte Community News.
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