May 2nd, 2024Your say…

Re: Daylesford Hospital

Over the long weekend in January, I had the need to attend Daylesford Hospital’s acute care facility.

It brought home to me the importance of an emergency acute care centre in Daylesford and Hepburn and that the proposed upgrade of the Daylesford Hospital needs to happen now to ensure this service is available in the future.

At the last state election, it was recognised that the hospital needed $70 million spent to bring it up to standard and to ensure it can continue to provide essential care to our community.

All candidates recognised the need except for our local member and Minister for Health, Mary-Anne Thomas.

My journey to the hospital was caused by a severe case of diarrhoea. I rang Springs Medical; the triage nurse advised me to go to the hospital, and after I spoke with a doctor, was told go to the Daylesford Hospital and, if unable, to get myself there by calling an ambulance.

I chucked a roll of toilet paper on the back seat of the car and with my wife driving, we headed off for a 15-minute trip to Daylesford, seriously hoping I would make it before needing to go to the toilet.

I arrived at the hospital, acute care was expecting me, and I just made it to the toilet.

The nursing staff were amazing, as was the on-call doctor. I was triaged and told to come back Sunday morning at 10am for the results of the tests carried out on the spot.

On my return on Sunday morning, I was prescribed antibiotics and am now fully recovered.

The realisation was, without acute care in Daylesford, it would have meant a 45-minute ambulance trip to Ballarat Base, plus waiting time for the ambulance to arrive and then to the very busy ER, with the possibility of being ramped on arrival and probably the need to go to the toilet two to three times on the journey.

Then there would be the journey for my wife with a 45-minute drive both ways, plus finding somewhere to park, parking fees, and then the return trip on the Sunday.

In our small community it is essential that our emergency care is maintained. It is two years to the next state election, and we need to make sure that the existing Labor Government fund the upgrade before then or that, as a community, we make it an election issue and the funding becomes an election promise.

Please write to our local member and Minister for Health and request that the proposed upgrade of the Daylesford Hospital happens.

From David Reilly, Bullarto South

Editor’s note: Letters, thoughts and musings are always welcome. Just keep them short and to the point, or long and interesting. Email news@tlnews.com.au