Griffith Base Hospital expansion brings urological services closer to home

The new surgical laser machine will help reduce the need for patients living in Griffith to travel outside their community for kidney stone surgery by bringing specialist care closer to home.

The Griffith Base Hospital Pioneers Trust Fund contributed $285,000 for the surgical laser machine, and supporting urology equipment.

Consultant urological surgeon Dr Paul Bergamin, a Griffith local, was the first to perform surgery with the new machine and welcomed the investment in the hospital.

“This new option is a big win for the local community. In previous years these patients were going across to Wagga, and then for the past two years they were being collaboratively supported by St Vincent's Private Hospital in Griffith, to reduce patient travel times and provide local options,” Dr Bergamin said.

A surgical laser machine for kidney stones is a minimally invasive tool which uses light energy to pulverise urinary stones into tiny, passable fragments or dust.

As part of the expansion to urological services at Griffith Base Hospital, new procedures are also available to protect the bowel during radiation treatment for prostate cancer, helping to support care locally.

Patients experiencing uncomfortable urinary symptoms from benign prostatic hyperplasia are also benefitting from additional minimally invasive treatments now available, such as UroLift.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia affects up to 80 per cent of men and has traditionally been managed with either medications or high-risk surgery requiring multiple nights in hospital. The new treatment options mean many of these patients can be treated and safely discharged home on the same day.

MLHD Chief Executive Emma Field said the expansion of services was enabled by Griffith Base Hospital’s $250 million redevelopment and aligns with broader District surgical priorities to strengthen services, build specialist capability and improve access to care closer to where people live.

“Delivering enhanced urological services to the Griffith region, means local communities will have improved access to timely, accessible and high-quality healthcare, closer to home,” Ms Field said.

“This expansion will make a real difference for many patients who, until now, may have had to travel outside their communities to access specialist care.”

The Griffith Base Hospital Pioneers Trust Fund is a charitable organisation established to provide financial assistance to the hospital, supporting the purchase of equipment and resources for staff and patients.

Griffith Base Hospital General Manager Joanne Garlick said the Fund’s longstanding support was deeply appreciated.

“We would like to sincerely thank Griffith Base Hospital Pioneers Trust Fund. We are very grateful for this generous donation and for the Fund’s ongoing support of the work we do,” Ms Garlick said.

Secretary Morris Massarotto said the Fund was established in 1965 to support the-former Griffith District Hospital. It was dedicated to district pioneers and first trustees Jack and Nesta McWilliam.

“Mr McWilliam was a long-serving and dedicated member of the Hospital Board, and it was his wish that the Fund would serve as a practical memorial to the early pioneers who settled this area,” Mr Massarotto said.

“It was Mr McWilliam’s hope that the Fund would be built on by others who felt the district had been good to them, and that in turn, they could give back in a meaningful way by supporting the welfare of future generations.

“We are delighted that Mr McWilliam’s heartfelt vision continues to be realised.”

The Fund has donated more than $1.6 million to the hospital since its inception.