Wyndham residents will need to travel to Sunshine Hospital or the city for treatment of irregular pap smears or skin cancers.
In an email circulated to doctors across Wyndham last week, Werribee Mercy Hospital said it was no longer accepting new referrals for patients requiring gynaeoncology or colposcopy assessments, or for those requiring treatment of suspected or biopsy proven basal cell carcinomas (BCC) or squamous cell carcinomas (SCC).
The email cited “unforeseen changes to our outpatient workforce” for the changes.
Patients are usually referred to a hospital for gynaeoncology or colposcopy assessments if they return an irregular pap smear test result.
BCCs and SCCs are considered non-melanoma skin cancers and are usually removed from a plastics outpatient clinic.
Health services chief executive for Mercy Health, Linda Mellors, said the hospital was in discussions with the oncology unit at Mercy Hospital for Women to start an outpatient colposcopy service at Werribee.
“Werribee Mercy Hospital currently does not operate a colposcopy outpatient service,” Adjunct Professor Mellors said.
“Patients requiring an outpatient colposcopy are referred to Mercy Hospital for Women, Sunshine Hospital or other suitable health services.”
Joe Garra, from MyClinic Werribee Village, said he was surprised to hear of the move.
“As a GP, it is very disappointing that fairly basic and common specialist services are being cut,” Dr Garra said.
“A general gynaecologist should be able to order a colposcopy and biopsy for an abnormal smear. As for BCCs and SCCs, many GPs will remove them provided they aren’t too big, except for ones on the face.
“Patients now have to either pay to see a private plastic surgeon or travel to Sunshine or the city.”
