Surgical Crisis at Shoalhaven Hospital

Shoalhaven Hospital is facing a crisis, with time rapidly running out to re-new the contracts of the region's two general surgeons , creating  the risk that  planned operations will have to be postponed.

The five year contracts for Professor Martin Jones and Dr Mark Hehir, expire at the end of the month, and despite negotiations starting more than three months ago no agreement has been reached.

Professor Jones has told the South Coast Register  surgical procedures will cease at Nowra on June 30 unless agreement is reached.

He says the surgeons have been offered the same contracts as five years ago.

Professor Jones say new requests made by surgeons are cost neutral, and designed to attract replacement staff to the area, to take over when current doctors retire or move on.

Doctors have warned if agreement is not reached surgical patients will have to be transferred to Wollongong or Sydney for their procedures.