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The roadblock in the development comes after Hunter New England (HNE) Health announced last year that it would be keeping the Nita Reed Dialysis Centre in Taree open. 

Since the decision, an agreement made by HNE Health to fund the operational costs of the unit at Forster is now in question.    

The executive officers of Pulse Health and Hunter New England Health have been in close discussions about what to do with the development but so far no decision has been reached.  

Health Association chairman Roger Lynch said despite the uncertainty, the association has decided that the development will still go ahead as planned. 

“We’ve decided that notwithstanding this negotiation we’d complete the job,” Mr Lynch said. 

“There is no point having it half finished. Mr DiRienzo (HNE Health Chief Executive officer) assured us that we would not be financially disadvantaged as a result of what the negotiations were. 

“We’ve come so far, we have about another $100,000 to spend to finish it – it’s just some electrical work, floor coverings, painting etc. to be done and then the final tidying up of the rooms. There is certainly no point in stopping now.” 

It is understood that there are approximately 19 dialysis chairs currently in the Manning Valley - five at Mayo Private Hospital and the rest at Nita Reed and Manning Base Hospital. 

“Their population is essentially the same as ours except we have more older people in our area but no dialysis chairs at all,” Cape Hawke Community Hospital and Health Association board member Graham Burns said. 

“I don’t see the fairness in that.”

The proposed unit at Forster Private Hospital is fitted out to accommodate six dialysis chairs as well as dry and wet store rooms, a room for filtration equipment, a storage room, a nurse’s station and two courtyards. 

Mr Lynch said the committee was still in the dark about what would be done with the unit but was remaining hopeful.   

“It’s just so logical for this to be a dialysis unit,” Mr Lynch said. 

“Obviously the money is important to us we don’t want to see it go to waste but what’s more important is getting public services here to benefit our local community so they don’t have to always travel to Taree.”  

To add to the confusion Member for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead recently told NBN News that five private chairs would be open at Forster Hospital and other public chairs would be made available.

“In relation to the private chairs that I mentioned in my interview, this information was provided to me by one of the board members at Forster Private Hospital whom I understand has since been informed that private health funds will not fund the use of private chairs, however this is an ongoing commercial decision for the hospital,” Mr Bromhead said. 

“I understand further that Hunter New England Health is also looking at alternative possibilities for the placement of public dialysis chairs in the Forster Tuncurry area.”