Two McLaren Vale residents are leading a fight to retain the local hospital, rather than see it closed on 30 June and converted to aged care.

Michael Baragwanath and Becky Hirst will host an online forum on Monday 3 April to discuss possible options for keeping open the McLaren Vale & Districts War Memorial Hospital.

He is an experienced finance and investment consultant and she is a community engagement consultant and a former board member of the hospital.  

The current board announced the closure on 27 March, saying the hospital has struggled for many years to remain viable and all possible options had been explored.

It held an information session for members on 29 March and Adele Pugsley, convenor of the McLaren Vale Region Community forum, posted an account on Facebook.

She reports that the cost of maintaining required staffing levels and the lack of local doctors able and willing to admit patients are major factors in the hospital’s woes.

The state government has provided annual funding of $900,000 since 2020 and has declined to fully take over the hospital.

The board maintains the best possible option is a merger with the James Brown Memorial Trust, which holds compatible values.

The proposed merger would require the trust to ‘respect, protect and preserve the Hospital, including… buildings on the site and the War Memorial aspect of the Hospital’.

The board says it has consulted widely, including the state government, local MPs, Southern health network, unions, staff and volunteers.

The next step is a Special General Meeting of the 65 hospital members to vote on the proposal.

This is likely to be held on Friday 28 April; the timeframe means any new members joining since the closure announcement will not be eligible to vote. 

The board has signalled its intention to resign should the membership vote against the proposed merger.

Michael Baragwanath says there are numerous ways for the hospital to continue to operate, but it would need private investment.

He and Becky Hirst are urging hospital members to vote against the merger and for the McLaren Vale community to take out membership to signal their support.

They say even though new members will not be able to vote they can play a part in the future of the hospital if the board resigns.

Full details of their backgrounds, their thoughts on the hospital and how to join their online discussion at 7pm on Monday 3 April can be accessed via Humanitix.