Portland residents air concerns about hospital at meeting

Samantha Rutter joined a crowd of about 150 people at a meeting held to discuss concerns on Sunday.

Portland Community Health Action Group organiser Ellen Linke said there was a large number of residents who aired concerns about the service.

"Community members feel like they've been let down by the hospital board," she said.

"They feel that the loss of opthamology and the suspension of maternity services are just the tip of the iceberg."

Mrs Linke said Dr Yasser Diab said he believed the hospital had enough midwives to provide a seven-day maternity service in the city.

Another concerned resident urged everyone in attendance to contact Mr Foley's office to air their concerns about the city's hospital.

Mrs Linke said about 800 people had signed a petition calling on the Hillis recommendations to be actioned and to increase funding at PDH. It also calls for a guarantee from the state government that the service won't be amalgamated.

She said the remaining petitions, which were at a number of businesses across the region, would be collected and handed to MP Roma Britnell on Friday. This week a review into PDH was made public after months of lobbying from the community.

A report by healthcare consultant David Hillis in 2019 found the service had a lack of on-site senior medical staff and relied on specialists who stayed in Portland just days at a time.

The review found qualified specialists rarely applied for positions in the area.

It called for the use of rural generalists - doctors with a broad range of skills suited to rural environments - over the next five to 10 years. It also proposed greater sharing of medical services with other health providers in the region.

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