Victorians are being asked to add their voice to a new campaign standing against the Andrews Labor Government’s plan to amalgamate local hospitals across the state.
Launched today, the ‘Hands Off Our Hospitals’ petition comes in response to a growing push to amalgamate services under a “formal partnership approach”.
Hospitals at Mildura, Warrnambool, Horsham, Wangaratta, Echuca, Wonthaggi and Bairnsdale are among those to be targeted by the plan.
It will see health services at Geelong, Ballarat, Traralgon, Albury Wodonga, Shepparton and Bendigo appointed as lead organisations above smaller hospitals in what Labor’s trying to sell as “Regional Area Health Partnerships”.
But far from being an equal partnership, health services fear it is designed to simplify the process of sweeping amalgamations in the future.
To stop the plan, the Victorian Liberal Nationals have launched the ‘Hands Off Our Hospitals’ campaign, to give Victorians who do not want to see amalgamations go ahead a voice.
Together we can send a clear message to the Andrews Labor Government that communities do not want Daniel Andrews to take the ‘local’ out of local hospitals by creating mega-hospitals controlled by inner-city bureaucrats.
Sign the petition at: www.handsoffourhospitals.com.au
Comment attributable to Leader of The Nationals, Peter Walsh:
“Far from delivering better services, hospital mergers mean longer waiting lists, loss of local control, increased travel to get the treatment you deserve and local job losses.
“For towns like Mildura, Warrnambool or Bairnsdale, which are located hours from the next nearest health service, it couldn’t be more important to have a stand-alone local service that’s focused on delivering quality care to its community.”
Comment attributable to Shadow Minister for Health, Georgie Crozier:
“The Andrews Labor Government must address the funding model for public hospitals and inject the capital funding needed to give staff and patients the quality services we need and deserve.
“The Minister must face Victorians and come clean on what Labor’s secret plan to amalgamate our health services will mean for us.”
