Benambra electorate
Bill TILLEY (Benambra) (14:54): (1148) My question is for the Minister for Health, and the information I seek is: when will this Labor government fully and properly fund all 16 short-stay beds at Albury Wodonga Health? These beds act as a circuit breaker for the bed blockages and ambulance ramping that plague our health service. They allow for patients to get hospital treatment without compromising the emergency department or taking up a vital bed. There are 16 short-stay beds at Albury Base Hospital, but in the latest budget this government is only funding nine. New South Wales have already paid for their share. Why are all the beds not funded? Albury Wodonga Health has only 44 emergency beds across two hospital campuses, with 210 people present there every day. By comparison, Barwon Health in Geelong has 77 emergency beds for 220 patients a day. The number of people waiting for surgery is a mystery; the last two quarterly reports are blank. Minister, do what matters most: fund these beds.