A year since hospital hours in Western Australia's northernmost town were slashed, the state government is struggling to find enough nurses to return the service to normal.
WA Country Health Service (WACHS) turned Wyndham Hospital, a 24/7 facility, into a day service, after the ABC revealed nurses were working "unsafe" hours to cover critical staff shortages.
The crisis was sparked a month earlier when a series of break-ins at nursing accommodation sparked a mass exodus of health workers.
At the time, WACHS described the "temporary" change in hours as an "interim" solution, while new nurses could be recruited.
The state had also just posted a $5.6-billion surplus.
WACHS Kimberley director Rex O'Rourke told the ABC in a statement that Wyndham Hospital would return to normal hours when long-term staffing was secured.
"Our modified model of care continues," he said.
"We've asked [healthcare workers] to perform the extraordinary and I acknowledge it's been especially difficult for staff at our most remote sites."
Wyndham community advocate and hospital board member Jean O'Reeri said the reduced hours had forced residents to travel an hour to the East Kimberley hub of Kununurra.
"We don't want to go all the way to Kununurra to visit our family, because some of us don't have vehicles. And we need to be near our loved ones," she said.
"The Wyndham Hospital is crucial. We need more support for elderly patients. We need an operating hospital for us to function as a community."
The Wilinggin woman says the hospital's capacity to be open at night is important in a town where alcohol-fuelled dysfunction, like many parts of the Kimberley, remains a problem.
"We have a lot of issues in Wyndham. And a lot of the issues in Wyndham happen after hours," Ms O'Reeri said.
Government urged to recruit overseas nurses
Ms O'Reeri urged WACHS to recruit nurses from overseas and incentivise them to become long-term Wyndham residents.
"We get people from outside of Australia to do our farming. Why can't they do the same with our nurses," she said.
WACHS has faced criticism for relying too heavily on locum doctors and agency nurses, and the hospital board member said residents were better served by health workers who were familiar with the region.
"We don't really know these doctors and nurses. Indigenous people only really confide in the doctors they know," Ms O'Reeri said.
Unlike Kununurra and Halls Creek, Wyndham does not have an Indigenous-run health clinic to complement the town's hospital.
Ms O'Reeri said the state government should hold a public meeting in Wyndham to consider that option, among others.
"I think that's the most logical thing to do. Look at other avenues to fill the void," she said.
WACHS confirmed to the ABC that it is working on a number of strategies to attract and retain staff, including refurbishing accommodation and providing financial incentives to agency nurses.
