Wednesday, 21 September 2022

 Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:53): (1991) My constituency question is for the Minister for Health and relates to the availability of paediatric services in south-west Victoria. Warrnambool parents Monique Patterson and Bill Powell first attempted to seek paediatric help for their three-year-old son in late July. At that time they were advised there would be a lengthy delay to access care. Earlier this month they requested an update from the city’s only public clinic, only to be told the clinic was not accepting any more patients with behavioural issues. The temporary pause, they were told, would be reviewed in February. That is an eight-month wait and potentially much, much longer. The alternative is to travel 2 hours to either Ballarat or Geelong. Given the damage done during the COVID-19 lockdowns, this family is not alone in the need for help. Minister, what are you doing to resolve the paediatric health crisis in this state, especially in regional Victoria?