After last week’s emotional declaration at the Save Our Hospital Inc public meeting in Pambula he, along with NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner and community group Save Our Hospital Inc, have compiled a list of local medical staff willing to be involved in maternity services at Pambula, services which were centralised to Bega in 2008.

“We’ve compiled a list of names that was sent to the Health Minister last Thursday,” Mr Constance said.

“That list consisted of three GP/obstetricians, one anaesthetist and six midwives.

“Now, the director general of health will be assessing an array of models and coming back to us in the new year.”

This next step in the long running battle for full services at Pambula Hospital followed a decision by the Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD) on Thursday, December 7 not to restore maternity services to Pambula.

Mr Constance said that although the matter was now out of his hands, he trusted minister Skinner would handle the names with the strictest of confidence and hoped to see the decision overturned.

“Eve Bosak (chair of the board) needs to have some comprehension of what local people need instead of deciding for us - that’s why I intervened and Jillian Skinner became involved.

“I’m hopeful they’ll be able to come up with at least one model to allow birthing mothers back to Pambula hospital, because that’s just the way it should be.”

Last Friday the Bega Medical Staff Council told the ABC South East it supported the decision by SLNSWHD not to reinstate maternity at Pambula.

Co-chairman of the council Gabe Khouri believed the workforce was not able to support two maternity units and said any proposal to reopen it would need careful scrutiny.