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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2024
H-G17
SEYMOUR NOT KEPT INFORMED
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■ Euroa MLA Annabelle Cleeland questioned if the Seymour community was adquately kept informed by the State Government over proposed hospital changes. “I recently attended a community meeting in Seymour where more than 120 local residents shared similar frustrations about the possibility of hospital mergers,” Ms Cleeland told State Parliament, just prior to the Allan Government’s backflip on hospital mergers. “The Seymour community feels like they have been kept in the dark about the future of their beloved local health service, and they are not the only ones. “Regional communities have some questions that should be answered about what mergers will mean for their jobs or their ability to access local health care. “I have expressed these concerns in a letter to the Minister for Health and the board of the hospital and raised some of the questions that were asked during this meeting. “It was clear just how important an issue this is for all of those in our community, and they do not feel supported when it comes to health care under this government. “While some of the information revealed was quite distressing, it was incredible to see the level of care our community has for our local health services. “Our hospitals are a source of pride for our towns and must be given the proper support that they deserve. “This is an issue that will, sadly, impact many of our communities across regional Victoria, and I have encouraged other towns in the region to make their voices heard to make sure that our local services are kept local and out of the hands of this government. “In the letter I wrote I questioned whether the Seymour Health board were even informed of the level of financial deficit of these metro hospitals or the staffing loss at these hospitals. “To assume the priority of services or staff would flow back to a regional hospital from a major metropolitan hospital under immense pressure would be commercially naive. “You can listen to your own community too. It is our local community who will pay the ultimate price. Replacing the community voice by moving local boards to larger hubs is not in our best interest, instead adding another level of bureaucracy for our community to access what it truly needs when it comes to health care. “The review of the Victorian health system was reinforced by the prestigious King’s Fund in 2015, commissioned, might I say, by the Department of Health.
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● Annabelle Cleeland, Euroa MLA “Now do your research. It stated Victoria had a well-understood governance model that gives boards running health services at a local level considerable autonomy, with a statewide framework of priorities. “The report said Victorian health services had a culture of innovation, agility, a freedom to govern, all underpinned by a culture of organisational stability. “All of this is under threat should these mergers happen. To go against these objective facts proves the Allan Labor Government cannot manage our health system and does not care for regional women. “Mental health is another area that this government has brutally and cruelly ignored, with some of Victoria’s most vulnerable women being left without crucial support. “The Allan Labor Government deferred the establishment of 35 local mental health and wellbeing hubs, many in regional communities. “This decision makes a mockery of the mental health levy, which was supposed to fix this failed system. “The levy imposed on employers has been in place since January 1, 2022, but it is clear the funds are being used elsewhere to plug the gaps in this debt-riddled budget. “Year after year Labor make promises to support Victorians, only to quietly turn their backs, allowing our mental health system to decline further. “This government cannot manage money and it cannot manage a project, and regional women and their health are paying the ultimate price,” Ms Cleeland said.