Transition wards are not rehab

Once again I wish to thank and applaud the Peninsula News for the support by publishing our letters about the great loss of the Woy Woy Rehabilitation Unit.

On June 1, a bus was organised and kindly hired by Ed James to go to State Parliament house to protest about the removal of the Woy Woy Rehabilitation from the Peninsula.

About 30 dedicated residents were involved.

It seems that when the rehabilitation unit was built and furnished, the population was nowhere near what it is now.

Somehow it has been decided it would serve better in an area that is not accessible by public transport.

The group of interested citizens have been meeting for over two years to get the rehab back where it belongs, plus added improvements to the public hospital.

Our venture on June 1 was to point out to the State Government we are not happy with the loss of our rehabilitation beds and want them returned to its rightful place.

The building is there and we need the beds back.

We were hoping for a hearing with the Health Minister or one of the representative team, but they stayed clear of us, as did other members of the government

Marie Andrews, our local Labor representative, came out of Parliament House.

Credit is given for her appearance to address us disappointed and angry voters when no one else ventured out.

Unfortunately, all her replies regarding the rehab were negative.

We do not accept the excuses or reasons she put forward that the transition wards are doing the same jobs.

They are a completely different service and very important part of health care and should have been added on to what we already had.

We are not going to accept her word of its removal being permanent.

Anything removed can be put back and we intend to keep battling until someone in Government sees sense and does something about having the rehab back where it belongs and people on the Peninsula can access it as can others will, owing to our much better public transport train service and a bus service to the hospital door.

The free bus service offered to us to Kanwall does not allow a freedom of choice of time.

For too many years, we on the Woy Woy Peninsulas have been treated as the poor relations with our hospital facilities.

With an aging population, totalling over 9000, as well as younger families in the area, the neglect is not acceptable to us and we need action and we need it now.

Joan Armstrong, Umina Email, 3 Jun 2010