THE sudden withdrawal of X-ray and ultrasound services by Bendigo Radiology has left Cohuna District Hospital staff scrambling to find a solution for the community.
Blaming staff shortages, the company last month advised it would cease the service at the end of April, and removed equipment used for transmitting digital images to a specialist at another location for viewing and reporting back to doctors.
The move came just weeks after the hospital installed an upgraded digital X-ray system which Bendigo Radiology staff provided training for, angering Ochre Medical Centre GP Dr Peter Barker OAM, who described it as bizarre and “very bloody minded”.
“We can take an X-ray, but we can’t get it reported because we can’t transmit it,” he said.
“Hopefully, that’ll be solved soon. The issue with Bendigo Radiology is they didn’t want to talk about it; it’s a commercial decision. At the same time they said they haven’t got enough staff, they’re opening up a new service in Echuca.”
Dr Barker said the inability to transmit high quality scans to a reporting service meant locals would have to travel out of town for X-rays and ultrasounds, and hospital in-patients would face a journey by ambulance, at great expense.
Chief executive officer Bernadette Loughnane said it was disappointing for hospital staff and the community, but they were working with a consultant to find a new reporting service.
“This all takes a little bit of time, but no patient has been denied care because of it,” she said.
“If we have to put someone in an ambulance to get an X-ray, we will do it … we’d have no issue doing that.”
Ms Loughnane said an extension of the contract with Bendigo Radiology was negotiated in mid-2022, when the hours changed from two full days a week to four half days.
She also insisted that the service continue during last year’s floods because roads in the area were open, and the service was needed.
“We have held them to account all the way along,” she said.
“And we invested heavily – we upgraded our X-ray to a digital X-ray and designated a separate room for ultrasonography and put modifications in there for their staff. So when I got the notification, you can imagine the look on my face. I won’t say what I said to myself.”
Maternity cases were now being referred to Kerang for ultrasonography, but Ms Loughnane said sending people to other towns for X-rays carried numerous risks.
In-patients would block beds in other hospitals, Cohuna clinical staff would lose their skills, and because of the lack of public transport, some people would not bother to have their scans done at all.
But as a commercial entity, Ms Loughnane said Bendigo Radiology had different priorities to the public sector.
“We are pulling out all stops to resume the service,” she said.
“To get the reporting sorted in the first instance, and then go to tender for another provider.”
Dr Barker said Bendigo Radiology had provided an excellent service over the years.
“It’s just that has been very short notice of them pulling out and not taking any care for the in-patients that we have to make alternative arrangements for, which has been difficult,” he said.
Bendigo Radiology was contacted for comment.
