That’s the view of a local medical practitioner alarmed by desperate cover-ups and reprisals as the State hospital system hurtles towards disaster.

The high-profile practitioner declined to be named due to fears of reprisals.

“I’ve been the recipient of threats on several occasions over the years for speaking out about serious problems,’’ he said.`

“The NSW Health response has been very nasty. Staff at Dubbo Base Hospital are universally unhappy but people are frightened and don’t dare say a word. Horrific stories of incompetence and victimisation are shared between doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, kitchen staff and cleaners. But the powerful health bureaucracy manages to keep a lid on it all.’’

The medical practitioner has lived and worked in Dubbo since the 1970s and believes NSW should revert to the old hospital board system.

He cites incompetence “as the root of the problem” within NSW Health and believes any politician with enough insight and courage to attempt to rectify the situation would be embarrassed by an outpouring of leaks.

“Frankly they wouldn’t be able to stay in their job very long,’’ he said.

“Restoring local autonomy would be an important step in the right direction to reduce the inadequacies of the current health system and might at least bypass some of the incompetence and desperation to cover-up mistakes.’’

The practitioner was against the demise of the hospital board system but supported the change in structure from Macquarie Area Health to Greater Western Area Health.

“At the time I thought the Macquarie health administration was abysmally poor and felt any change would be an improvement,’’ he said.

“I have certainly been proven wrong in that. The centralisation of health has been a disaster. In fact, the whole NSW Government and public service seems to be on the nose.

“The Wollongong mates scandal is amazing with all the carry on, corruption, money and sex. What more could you have? It has the makings of an American movie.

“Meanwhile the public and health workers are suffering, trapped in a health system with little hope.

“Quite frankly, at this stage of my life I am becoming increasingly concerned as a potential health service recipient rather than as a provider.

“The hospital and health service problems are not confined to Dubbo. All the stink and publicity originated from Royal North Shore Hospital but the more you dig the more you find.

“NSW needs a complete rethink of the way health is run. There has to be an honest overhaul from top to bottom.’’

The medical practitioner is well-known in the Dubbo community. The Daily Liberal withheld his name to protect him from recriminations.

heather.crosby@ruralpress.com