Wagga Base Hospital Auxiliary Op Shop celebrates $2 million milestone

It is a mammoth milestone which is allowing Riverina residents access to the most up-to-date equipment.

Wagga Base Hospital Auxiliary president Rodney Parsons said the team of volunteers have worked hard over the last year to reach the mark.

"After 12 months we have been able to put together $171,000 on the 2022-2023 hospital wish list, which has put us over the $200,0000 mark - which is great for a group of 25 - 30 volunteers," Mr Parsons said.

Wagga Base Hospital provides the auxiliary with a wish list every 12 months in which the committee then goes through to determine what they are able to afford.

"Our goal is to make this the best-equipped hospital in the state, if not in Australia and we are well on our way," Mr Parsons said.

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"If we can help the staff, patients and doctors and their duties then we are achieving our goal.

"It's a very, very worthy charity. I've been tied up with many charities in my lifetime and this one is the best, as far as I'm concerned."

Wagga Base Hospital Auxiliary volunteer and former registered nurse at Wagga Base Hospital Carol Kemp knows all too well the importance of good equipment.

"I was a registered nurse at Wagga Base in the theatre," she said.

"The money the shop has raised has supplied the hospital with a lot of equipment," she said.

The shop operates from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm, with a minimum of four volunteers working at all times.

"Everybody puts in the work and they are as passionate about it as I am," Mr Parsons said.

"It started from scratch, it was falling apart and not working at all but we resurrected it and since than we have been able to raise over $2 million in equipment, it's amazing."

In the last 12 months, the auxiliary has purchased two telemetry units, 19 Practiman mannequins, three Milano Chairs, a tilt-in-space wheelchair 2 Bariatri Sorrento Chairs a BladderScan i10, a hearing amplifier and Minray ECG, a pulse oximeter and two Milano chairs.

Wagga Base Hospital manager of corporate and business services, Michael Morris the Practiman mannequins alone have allowed the hospital to keep nurses on board rather than them having to go to a training centre.

"We have a lot of patients, we are the referral hospital for the local region so the more current and up-to-date equipment we have the better we can care for them," Mr Morris said.

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