Concerned: Liberal Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell, Shadow Health Minister Georgie Crozier and Nationals State Member for Shepparton Kim O'Keeffe have criticised the Victorian Government’s spending on regional health.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Victoria’s Opposition has used a visit to the Goulburn Valley by Shadow Health Minister Georgie Crozier to claim regional health services could be amalgamated or even shut down.
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But the government has rejected this claim, saying there are no plans to close any Victorian hospitals.
Immediately after visiting GV Heath in Shepparton on Thursday, April 4, Ms Crozier predicted regional Victorians would get a “horror budget” in terms of the state’s health sector when it is handed down by treasurer Tim Pallas on Tuesday, May 7.
“What we know is that cuts to regional and rural health services are going to have devastating impacts on local communities,” Ms Crozier said.
“It’s job losses, but also loss of services.”
Joining Ms Crozier, Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell said regional communities were “desperately scared” they would lose their local health services.
“What we have here is a state Labor government that can’t manage money and is willing to play Russian roulette with the health of rural and regional families in order to prop up their budget line in Melbourne,” she said.
No wealth for health: Shadow Minister for Health Georgie Crozier has claimed the state government is planning hospital amalgamations and even closures.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Ms Crozier claimed regional and rural Victorians could expect hospital amalgamations and cuts to frontline and clinical services thanks to the Labor Government’s mismanagement.
“That is an inability to deliver healthcare to Victorians,” she said.
“Hospitals will be forced to close and amalgamate – that’s the government’s plan.”
A Victorian Government spokesperson rejected the allegations, saying there are no plans to close any Victorian hospitals.
“Unlike the Liberal National Party, we are not in the business of shutting down, privatising or slashing funding to our hospitals,” the spokesperson said.
“Victorians rightly expect us to prioritise the frontline health services they need, and that is what we have done – streamlining back-of-house functions will not impact our frontline health workers.”
“(Victoria’s health system) continues to be our largest investment and this will continue to be the case.”
Standing alongside Ms Crozier, Nationals State Member for Shepparton Kim O’Keeffe called on the government to complete the redevelopment of GV Health.
“We’ve only had stage one completed, and now we have a half-finished hospital due to the lack of investment in this poorly run government,” she said.
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