INDEPENDENT Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has committed to advocate for funding for Goulburn Valley Health’s continued redevelopment in her next four years in parliament, should she be re-elected.
“We have already received $229M for the redevelopment of the hospital and $163M in State Government funds for a new mental health unit and this is an excellent start.
“We need to continue this momentum, with particular attention to the safety, retention and encouragement of medical staff,” Ms Sheed said.
“A multi-deck carpark should be a priority for the accessibility and safety of staff, who often have to walk to their cars parked on side streets at all hours of the day and night.
“I also want to see the establishment of a clinical school, so we can train our Shepparton District residents to take on important medical jobs in their own community.
“This will go some way to help address the major issue of the medical staff shortage, which is becoming a growing concern for many regional areas.
“We need to find ways to attract and retain medical staff to our district and to do this we will need to come up with incentives in the form of increased wages and housing packages.
“We cannot afford for any more health staff to leave and we need to make their work life as easy as possible to not only allow them to care for our community, but to show them that we care and respect them for the work they do for us 365 days a year.
“Once we secure a carpark and clinical school, I intend to continue to advocate for the next stage of Goulburn health’s re-development.
“This will include a second multi-story inpatient unit building, an integrated cancer centre, children and young people’s hub and a replacement for the psychogeriatric nursing home, Grutzner House.”
“Our health staff deserve to work in world class facilities and our residents deserve to keep this re-development going.
