Thursday, 2 May 2019

Northern Victoria Region

In reply to Ms LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (21 February 2019)

Ms MIKAKOS (Northern Metropolitan—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services):

I can advise the member that Mark Gepp MP and myself visited Swan Hill District Health on 29 March 2019 and took the opportunity to meet with the Swan Hill Needs a New Hospital committee. I want to congratulate the Committee and local community on their campaign. It’s wonderful to see Victorians passionately supporting their local community.

Work is well underway for the planning of future services and infrastructure at Swan Hill District Health. My department is currently working with the health service and the Victorian Health and Human Services Building Authority on a master plan to guide the future infrastructure needs of Swan Hill hospital. This is the first step towards any future works and follows an extensive service planning process that helped to identify the future health needs of the Swan Hill Catchment over the next five to ten years.

I can inform the member that under our Government Swan Hill District Health has received $3.8 million from the Regional Health Infrastructure Fund for various projects; including fire safety equipment, new medical equipment and a new sub-acute service, which I announced will be opened in the coming months on my recent visit.

In 2018-19, the Andrews Labor Government is providing Swan Hill District Health with operating funding of $40.3 million. The Government has increased operating funding to Swan Hill District Health by $7.98 million or 24.7 per cent more than in the last year of the previous Liberal National government.

Unlike the previous Liberal National government that cut funding to Victoria’s health system, closing hospital beds and leaving thousands of Victorians stuck on waiting lists, a Labor Government will always deliver high quality and accessible healthcare to Victorians.

I note that Victoria is in ongoing discussions with the Federal Government in relation to public hospital funding. The Morrison Liberal National Government has offered a funding agreement which would shortchange Victorians by $2.1 billion in five years. For Swan Hill District Health this means an estimated shortfall of $7.3 million over the first 5 years of the agreement and is equivalent to 1,182 elective surgeries, 58 nurses or 24 doctors.

The Morrison Liberal National Government has also made a decision to retrospectively change the funding rules thereby clawing back $305 million for services already provided by Victorian hospitals for the years 2016/17–2018/19. I invite you to advocate for Victorian patients and Victorian hospitals by making representations to Minister Hunt and Minister Frydenberg about the impact of their unfair hospital funding decisions on your constituents.