The distressed parents of a seriously ill Dubbo baby were told they would have to travel to Orange for essential tests because they weren’t available in Dubbo.
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Yet, after questions were raised about the issue by the Daily Liberal yesterday, the option of tests in Dubbo was suddenly available.
Now the family wants health minister John Della Bosca to tell them why his health system would put an already distressed family through more pain and why it took a newspaper to intervene before something was done.
They were also concerned that, despite the Greater Western Area Health Service describing Dubbo Base Hospital as the health hub of western New South Wales, many services seemed unavailable to the people of the west.
Mr Della Bosca is in Dubbo today to discuss the Garling report and answer questions regarding Lourdes and Dubbo Base hospitals.
Given his chance, Stephen Winkle would ask Mr Della Bosca: “what kind of disgrace is this health service and what he would do to ensure Dubbo doesn’t lose any more services”.
At six months of age, baby Martin’s cherubic looks belie his ill health.
Martin has kidney problems and recently his paediatric specialist referred the family to Dubbo Nuclear Medicine and Echocardiography for a series of tests that will allow Martin to be treated by a renal specialist.
Mr Winkle was taken aback when on visiting the health facility last week he says he was told the tests could not be carried out in Dubbo.
Staff at the facility told him they would have to travel to Orange, he said.
In a double blow for the family, Mr Winkle said vandals damaged his car, rendering it unable to make the journey.
Required in Orange at 8.30am, Mr Winkle had to seek a borrowed car with a baby capsule so they could make the journey.
The test dramas have been extra stress for the family, already dealing with a “very sick little boy”.
“He looks healthy but if people knew the circumstances and the grief we’re going through...” Mr Winkle said.
Late yesterday IMED NSW general manager Mark Schofield was able to confirm to the Daily Liberal in response to its inquiries that Martin Winkle would be able to undergo the test in Dubbo.
He attempted to explain the situation that had led to the Winkles’ worry.
He said that there had been a small window of time when Dubbo staff had been unsure whether the new technologist arriving in Dubbo next week would be able to do the particular test needed.
The test was one the current technologist could not do out of many, he said.
faye.wheeler@ruralpress.com
