GREATER Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS) manager Ken Barnett has announced that as Dr Rob Morton has withdrawn his services, Pambula Hospital will be placed on bypass for any emergency which may involve advanced airway management.

“While the majority of cases will still be able to be cared for at Pambula, in the case of any that need those special skills, they will be diverted to Bega Hospital,” he said.

“Ambulance officers will ascertain whether there is a doctor at Pambula who can handle the case they have and make a decision accordingly.”

Chair of the Bega Hospital Medical Staff Council, Dr Gabe Khouri said the withdrawal of anaesthetic services by doctors at Pambula has left the remaining doctors who provide 24-hour emergency care without guaranteed back-up for emergencies where a patient’s airway is dangerously at risk.

These remaining doctors have relied heavily on the expertise of their GP anaesthetic colleagues to assist with such emergencies.

“Both myself and another Bega colleague have offered to provide what help we can in addition to our own on-call commitments at Bega,” he said.

“I have also offered to go to Pambula Hospital and provide a workshop on Airway Management Skills for those GPs and Nursing Staff interested.”

Dr Khouri said that despite their proclaimed concern for the welfare of their community, doctors who were willing to expose their communities to unjustifiable increased risk by withdrawing emergency airway management skills are “showing a callous disregard for their patients and those colleagues who remain to provide their community with emergency care, the most essential of all medical services”.

“It is appalling that those doctors who elect to remain to provide services at Pambula have been left to cope alone with such emergencies which if not properly handled can result in catastrophic patient outcomes,” he said.

“What do you say to the mother of a 10-year-old child with a critical head injury that he has suffered avoidable brain damage due to a lack of timely airway management?”

Mr Barnett said that paramedics were well trained to be able to make the decisions but added that GSAHS would provide funding and training for doctors to increase their airway management skills and confidence in dealing with such critically ill patients.

RDA NSW President Dr Les Woollard said the move to bypass the hospital was totally unacceptable and risked the lives of Pambula residents.

“The decision was made without reference to the medical staff and with the knowledge that