Dear Editor
Canowindra people can’t get sick any more. Having recently spent a lengthy stint in Canowindra Hospital, I came away amazed and disappointed at how the government has allowed this service to fall into the state that it is currently in.
As a long-time resident of the district, I have seen this once great hospital at Canowindra progressively wind down from a 40 bed capability to a 20 bed acute care facility, to its current capacity of 10 beds. Of these, the majority are taken up by out of town rehabilitation patients. Where is the priority for local patients? Like I said Canowindra people can’t get sick, they have nowhere to go.
It seems to me that there is an unwillingness to grow or even maintain current staffing levels at the hospital. Is this a deliberate move to downsize the facility and deny the people of Canowindra a modern health facility that it deserves or are they going to let it fade away through natural attrition, so that the locals will have to travel to get the medical services and care that they require.
Lastly, I would like to thank the staff at the hospital for the kindness, caring and consideration that they gave to me on my recent admission to the hospital. Their dedication to their profession was 10 out of 10 and I sincerely thank them for looking after me while I was there.
Yours Sincerely,
Bruce Whalan