Just weeks after the NSW Premier visited Griffith Base Hospital to announce a $35 million upgrade to much fanfare, the NSW government have gutted the facility’s pathology services, in an alleged secret decision made without staff or community consultation. 

With many Leeton shire residents needing to seek treatment at that hospital or use the pathology services, the impacts of the decision to close down histopathology and moving services to Wagga will be far-reaching. 

The hospital’s pathologist will need to go to Wagga to continue work or he won’t have a job. 

Leeton Shire Council mayor Paul Maytom said any impact on health services in the region is detrimental. The Griffith hospital is said to service 80,000 people. 

“If a centre such as Griffith is having its services downgraded, that is something all neighbouring councils should be made aware of as well,” councillor Maytom said. “The impacts of any downgrading will certainly have impacts on Leeton and, obviously, Griffith. 

“I’m still trying to find out more about the situation, but it’s certainly something we need to look into further. Any downgrading of health in our region isn’t ideal.”

Dr Narayanan Jayachandran (Jaya) also agreed the pathology situation would also affect Leeton residents. 

“Leeton people will sustain the same fate as Griffith people,” Dr Jaya said. 

“There's no way cancer patients' will get their histopathology tissue test results faster than they do now if they have to be transported to Wagga. 

“Every family and their dog need to get involved in this campaign.”

NSW Health chief executive Tracey McCosker said the proposal to downgrade the services was to “improve our service to local clinicians and patients”. 

“It will have no impact on where patients receive their care nor the outstanding quality local care they currently receive,” she said.