Limestone Coast residents will still be able to access private hospital facilities despite news on Tuesday the Mount Gambier Private Hospital will cease trading in nine days.

The private hospital’s board released a statement early on Tuesday announcing that it would close on August 21.

“After extensive consultations, the Board of Directors of Mount Gambier Private Hospital Incorporated regret to inform the community the Private Hospital in Mount Gambier will cease to trade on August 21, 2021,” the statement read.

“At a recent meeting of creditors and administrators, with the Limestone Coast Local Health Network being our largest creditor, it was voted to close the facility​.

“For any further patient information, please contact Mount Gambier and Districts Health Service.

“The Board of the Mount Gambier Private Hospital would like to thank the community for their support over the past 23 years.”

However, Limestone Coast Local Health Network chief executive Ngaire Buchanan moved to allay the community’s fears that it would be left without a private hospital.

“We would like to assure the community that private surgical and medical services will still be available in Mount Gambier,” she said.

“A plan is in place to transition the Mount Gambier Private Hospital into the public Mount Gambier and District Health Service from August 21, 2021.

“This plan ensures no impact to private services and further ensures the job security of all staff so the community will still be able to access the same services with their private health insurance.

“Patients using their private health insurance can still select their preferred specialist and private patients will not be charged a gap payment.

“We are working hard to ensure a smooth transition for patients and staff.

“We are working directly with staff members and will be contacting current private patients.”

The news came less than a month after the 20-bed facility, co-located with the SA Health-run MGDHS, entered into a five-week voluntary administration.

In announcing the voluntary adminstration private hospital acting chair Catherine Lunnay said the private facility had “a proven track record of providing customer focused, patient-centric healthcare characterised by excellence in quality, service and access”.

“Over the past five years, changes in the operating model of MGDHS, our largest creditor, have resulted in operational pressures which have had a direct impact on our economic performance and long-term feasibility that we can no longer sustain,” she said.

Ms Lunnay said the hospital had entered a five week voluntary administration process “very hopeful the situation can be remedied and look forward to working with the LCLHN to identify a new, cooperative working model that is in the best interest of both parties but most importantly, the community of Mount Gambier, who have long been very supportive of our hospital”.

Meanwhile, Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell said he would be calling on his state and federal counterparts to work together to ensure the future of private hospital facilities in Mount Gambier.

“It is a tragedy that we do not have a fully functioning private hospital in the city the size of Mount Gambier,” he said.

“We are the state’s second largest city and we need a fully functioning private hospital which attracts surgeons to our region instead of people travelling to Warrnambool or Adelaide, there are many surgeries that should be conducted here in Mount Gambier.

“The only way you can attract them is if you have a well functioning hospital.”

Mr Bell called on the state and federal governments to “come together and work through a solution to guarantee the viability of the Mount Gambier Private Hospital going forward”.

“I have had a number of phone calls from concerned community members, some very close to the private hospital and I will certainly be speaking to the minister about what they can do as a state government moving forward,” he said.

Mr Bell moved to allay fears about the future of the private hospital’s staff.

“I believe the staff are employed by the public hospital and contracted to private, I have been assured there will be no changes to staff and the future is just a little bit uncertain at the moment,” he
said.

“Following conversations with the Limestone Coast Regional Health Board I understand they are wanting to work on a long-term viable solution going forward.

“I know there has been a lot of good work done on different models for a private hospital in Mount Gambier and some of those models include a purpose built private hospital that is standalone with their own theatre space and I think those models need to be seriously looked at as part of this process going forward.”