Dr David Keegan was one of 13 doctors at the September 4 meeting of the Medical Staff Council to learn of the closure of the centre from HNE Health director of acute services, Todd McEwan.

In the wake of the announcement, Dr Keegan has chosen to speak to the issue of the centre closure and relocation of dialysis chairs to Forster Private Hospital.

In recent weeks, Tricia Bulic and Todd McEwan have been united in the promotion of the official position of HNE Health that "there will be no reduction in the dialysis services in the Manning region as a result of the relocation" of the chairs and that the "relocation of the dialysis chairs based at the Nita Reed Dialysis Centre became a key priority following and audit of the physical infrastructure, which showed it was not suitable for future service delivery."

The statements have been strongly rebutted by patients who use the centre, Greater Taree City Council mayor Paul Hogan, Lyn Mayo OAM who worked with a team of volunteers to establish the centre, and last week, the woman for whom the centre is named, 88-year-old Nita Reed.

Dr Keegan now adds his voice to the community protest and says "it is important that people understand that there was very limited consultation."

"We (Medical Staff Council) were informed at this meeting with Todd McEwan from the Hunter New England Health Service that it was basically fait accompli about Nita Reed," Dr Keegan said.

"The doctors were very upset about the lack of consultation about this process and it was clear that Hunter New England Health Service didn't have the facts. He kept saying, 'oh the eight dialysis chairs at Manning (Hospital) will remain and he was informed that there was six chairs, not eight. So the figures were dodgy."

Dr Keegan said it was now clear that HNE Health and Manning Hospital had been communicating with Forster Private Hospital for about a year "but not with the Medical Staff Council."

"The doctors didn't know anything about it, even the renal physician didn't know what was happening, the details," Dr Keegan said.

"None of the Medical Staff Council or doctors that I know have got any objection to Forster. We obviously appreciate that for Forster people, travelling is very difficult all the way to Taree.

"I am not sure which of the bureaucrats it was, but basically the answer was, the fact that now 10 or 12 Taree people have to travel to Forster 152 times a year is like a payback - all the Forster people did it for so long, now it's time for Taree people to travel the other way.

"There are more Taree people. The truth is that it is about 70 per cent Taree (patients), 30 per cent Forster. It could be because they (HNE Health) want to boost the economies of scale for Forster, to make it more attractive to the private sector, we don't know the exact reason.

"There has been a trend to go private and that is partly because the government's pushing things into public-private partnerships.

"I've also been informed that, if we needed more beds, we could have actually got the beds cheaper at Mayo Hospital than at Forster. That's on the cost plus the travel, because there will have to be some travel supplied for those who can't drive themselves out to Forster.

"It just doesn't stack-up and so we are not sure of the logic of why they are doing it - it could be economies of scale, the contract, we are not sure of that, but the whole thing is shrouded in secrecy."