Petition launched over ward closure

A PETITION has been launched to put pressure on the State Government to reopen the eight-bed rehabilitation ward at the North West Regional Hospital.

The elderly and those living with disabilities and impaired mobility were pleased when the Government announced a new ward would be established at the Mersey Community Hospital in Latrobe. What they didn’t realise was the ward at Burnie would be closed.

Petition organisers Marilyn Quirk and Chris Whiteley say the residents of Tasmania’s North-West relying on rehabilitation services feel the Government has given with one hand while taking away with the other.

“The closure was done under stealth. The Government has snubbed its nose at the 40,000 people who live from Penguin west to Circular Head, Queenstown and King Island,” Mrs Quirk said.

Almost 10,000 of those residents are aged over 70.

The petition will be tabled by Braddon MP Anita Dow who said the closure of the Burnie ward would add stress and financial and time costs to patients and their families already doing it tough.

“This part of the NorthWest has an ageing population with high instances of chronic disease and a dispersed population,” Mrs Dow said.

“The Government has broken its promise, made in 2015, to keep the eight rehabilitation beds open to ensure people west of Penguin can have equitable access to services closer to their family and friends.”

Health Minister Sarah Courtney said the move to Mersey had resulted in 12 rehabilitation beds: “Since the service started operating in July there have been a number of patients cared for who would have otherwise had to travel to Hobart or Launceston for treatment,” she said.