Pathology jobs gone as service closes

The Lavington collection centre will also close.

The publicly funded service which began 64 years ago has faced an uncertain future since the merger of the Albury and Wodonga hospitals in 2010.

South West serviced Albury Base Hospital until Albury Wodonga Health called for tenders for pathology services at both hospitals.

Private operator Dorevitch won the tender in October 2010.

That saw South West lose up to 70 per cent of its business, said Albury-based service unit manager Eugene Butkowski, who has worked at the Smollett Street laboratory for nearly 40 years.

“As you would expect it is not a pleasant time to be shutting a facility which has been a major part of a lot of people’s lives over the years,” Mr Butkowski said.

The laboratory employed more than 30 staff in 2010 and last year those remaining at South West were offered redundancies or relocation opportunities.

All staff have accepted the latest redundancy packages with limited positions at present on offer at Dorevitch or the other local provider, Border Pathology.

Dorevitch recently advertised for a scientist, but has yet to fill the position.

The staff losing their jobs at South West include pathologists, medical scientists, technical officers, technicians, nursing and administration support.

Specimens processed in Albury will now be sent to Wagga Hospital.

Mr Butkowski said the laboratory started in Albury in 1948 as one of a number of federally operated facilities with a large percentage of work coming from migrants at Bonegilla.

South West became the major regional public pathology provider by the 1970s before laboratories were handed to the state government in 1989.

“There is a very rich history of providing the community with a public-based pathology service, but that is obviously coming to an end,” Mr Butkowski said.

The Greater Murray Water testing will continue to be processed at the Albury laboratory until the contract expires on June 30 this year.

Editorial — page 22