Professor Francesco Paolucci's contribution 'Economist shoots down calls to split health district into two' in The Armidale Express (July 29) demonstrates the exact problem that we in New England have with the Hunter New England Local Health District.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The economics are obviously, of course, important. But they are far from the only consideration.
It is no solution to consult a distant economist when you have no doctor in a nice new hospital - or GP nearby.
HAVE YOUR SAY: CLICK HERE TO SEND A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
It is no solution when you ask a perfectly reasonable question and are told that no one locally has permission to answer it.
And if you persist you finally receive a form letter from the public relations department in Newcastle assuring you that all is well with the system, but not, in fact, answering your actual question.
Bureaucracies perform their functions but where lives are at stake and the exhausted staff who care for them are not listened to - it's time for other people to make the policy decisions.