LOCALS attended a recent community meeting last Wednesday to discuss the impact of budget cuts and proposed hospital amalgamations could have on local health services.
The event, hosted by State Member for Shepparton District Kim O’Keeffe and deputy leader of the Nationals and Shadow Minister for Mental Health Emma Kealy, aimed to provide more information about the impact of budget cuts and mergers, and to hear the community’s concerns.
Ms Kealy said the State Government is set to combine 76 health services across the state into just 12 larger hubs. This follows significant funding cuts to healthcare in the most recent state budget, with public health funding cut by 33.8 per cent, and more than 20 health services being told their budgets would be cut by up to 30 per cent across the next financial year.
“Labor’s plans for vast amalgamations and slashing budgets are not the answer to fix health workforce issues, ambulance ramping and long wait times for surgery that Victorians are experiencing across the state,” Ms Kealy said. “It makes no sense for Labor to slash hospital budgets and force the hospitals into a position where they can’t employ new staff when they are already struggling to keep up with demand for care.”
Ms O’Keeffe said, “I feel it is incredibly important to ensure our community is kept informed on the impact of hospital budget cuts and mergers and for us to hear their experiences.
“I am gravely concerned about the health and wellbeing of our exhausted workforce and the impact on patient care, and I have raised my concerns in Parliament with the Health Minister.”
She said the government’s priorities are all wrong, and that it is appalling that the priority is being given to “city-centric projects like the suburban rail loop.”
“It makes no sense for Labor to slash hospital budgets and force the hospitals into a position where they can’t employ new staff when they are already struggling to keep up with demand for care.”
