Healthcare cuts and amalgamations to have a devastating effect on regional Victoria
By Aaron Cordy
FEARS and uncertainty about the future of local health services are on the minds of many in the sector as residents of Mansfield rallied on Saturday, June 15 to save their hospital.
Mansfield, like many regional Victorian communities, has been left reeling after it was confirmed at least 20 health services across Victoria will have their funding slashed by the Allan Governments budget cuts. The confirmation comes after leaked documents earlier this year the government’s plans for healthcare cost-cutting were originally denied.
Deputy Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Emma Kealy, said regional Victorians continue to be snubbed and deserved to learn full details of looming cuts and mergers.
“No more secrets. It is time for Labor to fully detail how these cuts will impact services and regional Victorians,” Ms Kealy said.
“The Allan Labor Government has admitted it will cut funding to at least 20 of Victoria’s health services. How is it possible for them to serve their communities?”
In Mansfield, there is genuine concern for what will happen to their hospital if it is forcibly merged with Shepparton. Mansfield mayor Cr Steve Rabie said Mansfield had a strong history of fighting amalgamations.
“Leaked documents reveal that there is a threat that we would lose our chief executive and local board and have them replaced by an advisory board that sits out in Shepparton, making decisions about our services,” said Cr Rabie last month.
“This merger, shrouded in secrecy, has our community bewildered. In rural areas, such as in the Grampians, hospital mergers have been tried and have failed.
“In the year 2002, our own local government de-amalgamated after a disastrous merger in 1994. We’ve ‘been there, done that’ and we know that our community thrives independently.”
Despite the tireless work of GVH, they already feel the strain due to a lack of resources beyond their control, with the state budget biting down upon all health services, taking away from one regional centre like GVH to oversee greater areas as far as Mansfield will only bleed the people on the ground and the healthcare provided they locally.
