General News
15 August, 2024
Government denies health mergers
THE Opposition has claimed mergers of regional health services will go ahead, despite a firm denial from the Victorian Government.
Members of the Opposition claimed the government was pushing spin and rhetoric after it was announced regional health would be consolidated into five local health service networks in regional Victoria – Barwon South West, Grampians, Loddon Mallee, Hume and Gippsland.
Premier Jacinta Allan firmly stated there would no forced amalgamations, which the Opposition has been claiming for months now, however Leader of The Nationals, Peter Walsh, said the government was “still planning massive amalgamations”.
“We support local hospitals for local people, yet these mergers take management and key decision making away from locals,” he said.
“Decisions and cuts will be made from centralised hubs in big regional centres, in some instances a long way away from the actual local health service.
“Regional patients in some cases will have to travel hundreds of kilometres from where they live to where the services are delivered.”
Mr Walsh claimed local hospital boards would lose power and only play an advisory role only as key policies are set by central boards in large centres.
Deputy Leader of The Nationals Emma Kealy, the Member for Lowan, said “mergers are mergers, no matter how they are disguised”.
“If it looks like a merger, impacts hospitals like a merger, then it is a merger,” she said.
“It is illogical to think adding another layer of administrative bureaucracy would ever make Victoria’s health system more efficient. Local jobs and local services will be lost.
“This has all happened because Labor can’t manage money and regional health services are paying the price.”