Image: Sarah Harvey
The University of Wollongong said there was “not an intention” to provide funding for medical services on campus, despite a plea from Campus Clinic.
A document sent on behalf of the UOW administration to the clinic in July 2018 said the university had consulted stakeholders on a clinic proposal to fund campus services.
“As a result of your letter, I have consulted widely across the University, considering other models for provision of medical services and have taken advice from a range of stakeholders,” a UOW representative told the clinic.
“I have confirmed that, at the current time, there is not an intention for the University to become more involved with the medical services provided on campus for staff and students.”
The document does not say who the stakeholders were and UOW declined to identify them when approached by The Tertangala.
The university did not respond to a question over what stakeholder advice was.
A month before the UOW letter, Campus Clinic clinician Dr Jennifer Bowler sent a letter claiming there had been no communication from the university over a list of concerns sent to then Vice Chancellor Prof. Paul Wellings.
“We have several concerns, which were previously outlined in a letter I wrote to the Vice Chancellor of the University in November 2017 but which have not yet been addressed,” Dr. Bowler said.
Dr Bowler said it was difficult to recruit doctors and provide spaces for severely unwell patients because clinic facilities were too small.
Dr Bowler announced July this year the clinic will close at the end of the month.
A UOW spokesperson said the “University acknowledges the concern the closing of the Campus Clinic has caused students and staff.”
“[We] understand how essential health services are in the life of the Wollongong campus community. UOW Pulse and the University are working on providing a replacement service and immediate options for impacted patients.”
The university said it is consulting the UOW community “to reimagine medical services that address and support their physical and mental health needs.”
Campus Clinic clinician Dr Cartan Costello said he hopes students and staff will use consultation to persuade the university to commit to a funding model for health practices.
“I hope that UOW has the ambition and the ethic to develop a world’s best practice student health facility. My experience tells me that they are unlikely to do this spontaneously in the absence of a sustained community and media effort to force and shame them into meaningful action,” Dr Costello said.