No End To Hospital Crisis

A senior South Coast  surgeon says he has grave concerns for the welfare of patients, if a contract dispute at Shoalhaven Hospital is not resolved by the end of next week.

The Department of Health has refused to re-new the contracts of Professor Martin Jones and Dr Mark Hehir, whose current agreements expire at the end of the month.

Professor Jones says surgery at the hospital will cease, unless the contracts are re-signed, on terms which he believes will be cost neutral to the government.

According to Professor Jones both he and Dr Hehir have faced a massive workload since the resignations of three other surgeons in less than 12 months, and the department has to start succession planning.

While crisis talks were held in Sydney earlier this week he finds it bizarre given the fact he and Dr Hehir are at the centre of the dispute, they were not invited to attend the meeting.

Professor Jones says he and Dr Hehir have been looking after as many as 90 patients each every month, while colleagues in Sydney would have between 16 and 20 over the same period.

Hear what Professor Jones has to say on the issue;