First, the evidence that fluoridation saves teeth is poor. Dozens of countries around the world, with no fluoridation programs, enjoy less tooth decay than Australia.

Second, the claim that dental fluorosis, mottled teeth, is a minor problem is insulting to sufferers. Has the writer not seen the scientific studies showing major psychological stress for teenagers whose teeth have been discoloured by fluoride?

Third, the claim of saving money by spending it on fluoridation plants is false. That is purely a desktop accounting exercise, not real science, cut and pasted by fluoride spruikers around the world.

Finally, the story ignores the chief argument — that at least half the community believes our water supplies should be simply for delivering water. Water supply should not be for force feeding us a medicinal substance.

Ten days ago, around 500 South Coast residents attended a public meeting at the Bega Civic Centre to express their total support for the magnificent team of orthopaedic surgeons who, up until recently, had diligently served the interests of this regional community.

The Bega Valley Shire Residents and Ratepayers Association believes that most of the people at that meeting would have thought their massed voice in such a small community would have been enough to ensure that the impasse between hospital management  and the surgeons would have been swiftly resolved. 

Ten days later, with the NSW Minister for Health proudly announcing that a “wide ranging inquiry” into the operation of the hospital is to be undertaken, with the report to be handed to the government by the end of April, word is there are still no discussions taking place between hospital management  and the surgeons in an attempt to get them back to work.

It would seem that hospital management remains stubbornly  and wilfully determined to crush the surgeons in a cruel and self-serving demonstration of its power, even though it negatively impacts the health of hundreds of patients who cannot access the health care they are legitimately entitled to expect.

It has been said that the cumbersome  and ineffective locum service that hospital management has put in-place is costing taxpayers as much as $15,000 a day. This failed  and disgraceful waste of scarce public funds is only necessary because the hospital management is out of control  and operates under a dysfunctional health management structure.

In all of this, the single most important party – the patients - have been cast aside and largely left to fend for themselves. It is a disgrace that this is the best that our so-called “professional” health service can do.

The association would argue that we as a society would not expect an inquiry to be completed into the cause of an accident before we treated its victims. So why would we not adopt the same approach with our dysfunctional hospital?

Why would hospital management, the local health board and our politicians not be doing everything they could to restore the local orthopedic services using the local surgeons to treat their own patients as a top priority to address the crisis at the SERH while their inquiries are being undertaken?

Surely the only answer to that question is that they don’t regard the health needs of hospital patients as their number one priority or responsibility.

It is the view of the association that only widespread public calls for the firing of the hospital CEO, the local health board, Andrew Constance and Brad Hazzard will create the “burning platform” necessary to compel real and lasting reform of our rotten health system.