Hilltops Council has used sect 55 of the local Government Act 1993 to justify the termination of the contract with the current operators. The current operators have over 6000 patients on their books with patient records the property of Hilltops Council. The meeting took just over 45 minutes.

Hilltops Council has resolved to terminate the contract with the current operators of the Kruger Medical Centre in Harden, effective 28 days from the Council’s Extraordinary meeting held on January 15 2020. Councillors John Walker and Matthew Stadtmiller were not in attendance, as they had made other commitments during the holiday period.

Council has sighted a part of the Local Government Act 1993 which states they remove the current operaters via S55(3)(k) 

They have stated via the draft minutes on Council’s website that this is due to Council considering “the serious disruption to the delivery of General Practitioner medical services at the Kruger Health and Wellness Complex and to VMO services at Harden Hospital
recently to constitute a case of emergency within the meaning of S55(3)(k) of the Local Government Act 1993;

  The Council goes on to state, “(b) Requires the Acting General Manager to notify Geetanjali Health Service Provider Pty Ltd
and Dr Sazeedul Islam, that Council will terminate the Medical Practitioner Services Agreement and the license agreement relating to the use of the name “Kruger Medical Centre Harden” with

twenty-eight days’ notice from such notification being delivered;

Council has also appointed a consulting firm to act as an independent adviser.

The resolution states, “(c) Appoints Morrison Low Consulting to act as independent procurement advisers to assist Council with the urgent selection and engagement of a provider of Medical Practitioner Services at the Kruger Health and Wellness Complex, Harden.”

 It is currently unclear what the cost to the rate payers will be for the consulting firm.

Morrison Low’s website states, “At the heart of our business is the desire to see you succeed in yours. For over eighteen years, we’ve consulted to government, local government and the financial services sector and achieved some exceptional results. Now, the industry relies on our expertise. We’re an Australasian management consulting firm, and have offices strategically located in Auckland, Wellington and Sydney. We look forward to working with you too.”

   The Council minutes go on to state, “(d) Conducts, with the assistance of Morrison Low Consultants, an expedited process of
Early Industry Engagement in order to ascertain the level of market interest, number of prospective service providers, capabilities and risks”

   Council has allowed just 7 days for responses from those suitable to take over the Centre.

The minutes state,  “(e) Based upon the results of the Early Industry Engagement, calls limited, selective tenders for Medical Practitioner Services at the Kruger Health and Wellness Complex from appropriate suppliers identified during the Early Industry Engagement process with a seven (7) day response period with the assistance of Morrison Low Consultants.

The Medical Centre was completed in 2009 at a cost of $3.5 million and was gifted by the Kruger Trust to Harden Shire Council. It has faced a litany of issues over the years including attracting Doctors and repairs to the hydrotherapy pool which was designed to operate off the United States electricity voltage requirements. The current operators had 5 Doctors working at the Centre for the duration of 2019 before a number of Doctors left the Centre.

The Kruger Medical Centre became the property of Hilltops Council when the Shires of Harden, Boorowa and Young were forcibly merged into Hilltops Council. Hilltops Council retains ownership of the medical records of over 6000 patients. Harden residents and those who frequent the centre now have Councillors living in other communities making decisions on the medical services provided to the community of Harden Murrumburrah. The centre has at no stage been utilised to its full potential and was originally designed to cater for a large number of practitioners. Paul Collet, medical adviser to Rural and Remote Medical Services, was  reported as saying in a 2009 Sydney Morning Herald article  “the architect-designed complex could service a city the size of Newcastle or Canberra. Harden Shire has 3500 residents.”

“In some ways, the centre will change the fortunes of Harden,” Dr Collet said. “One of the reasons the council came up with the idea was because . . . the town was doing it tough. But the council also thought that if they built the centre and could make it work – with not only doctors but other health practitioners – they could draw patients from the whole region. We’re working on that notion.”

  Plans to construct a new Club facility at the Harden Country Club, funded by the Trust, are also nearing completion with a final figure of $9 million discussed at a meeting in 2019.

The Times will be seeking comment from members of the Trust, Hilltops Council, Including Mayor Brian Ingram and Deputy Mayor Tony Wallace, as well as representatives of the current operators of the Kruger Medical Centre. More to come.