Griffith City Council's community survey on local health services is giving residents the chance to have their say amid a growing debate over the future of Griffith Base Hospital.
Member for Murray Helen Dalton, alongside community members and local doctors, has renewed a campaign to establish a new Western Riverina Local Health District (WRLHD). The group believes a locally managed system would better reflect community needs, provide more responsive healthcare and ensure more services are delivered closer to home.
MLHD has responded to the proposal, stating that splitting the District is not supported by evidence and could increase costs, duplicate services and make it harder to recruit and retain staff. The District says its current integrated model delivers economies of scale and allows more funding to go directly to patient care.
Griffith Mayor, Councillor Doug Curran said Council has not yet taken a position on the proposal and wants to ensure the community has an opportunity to consider both sides and express their views before doing so.
"This is an issue that has generated strong opinions in our community," Mayor Curran said.
"Council's role is to provide a platform for residents to share their thoughts, which will help inform future advocacy and discussions about health service delivery in our region.
"We really want residents to have both sides of the story, that's why we've provided links to articles so that they can make up their own minds either way."
You can read both sides of the story via this link https://www.griffith.nsw.gov.au/News/Health/Murrumbidgee-Local-Health-District-MLHD-news
Residents are encouraged to complete Council's short survey here before 31 October 2025: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/M65NDQJ
