Thursday, 8 August, 2024
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Game on at fundraising Ladies Day While it was game day for the men at Officer Football Club on Saturday 3 August, the ladies enjoyed a special Ladies Day event. Pakenham MP Emma Vulin and Your Body Hub owner Christine Bailey and general manager Tara Keegel were among the speakers at the event, with $5 from every ticket going towards White Ribbon Australia. Event organiser Chloe Balzary said the atmosphere on the day was positive. “It was an event to celebrate the women in our area,“ she said. “Our committee were very helpful in setting up. “It was just nice to get everyone together and celebrate the women who sacrifice a lot for our communities.“
The Ladies Day event raising money for White Ribbon Australia. (Rob Carew: 422695)
Heath on attack By Corey Everitt The State Government’s delivery of Pakenham Community Hospital has been questioned again by a local MP amid growing concern about cuts to health services. Eastern Victoria MP Renee Heath attacked the State Government in Parliament last week for the promises “abandoned” in her electorate. One promise Ms Heath raised was the Pakenham Community Hospital which as of last year was scheduled to be completed in 2024, but in this year’s budget was pushed back to 2026. “The Allan Labor Government’s failure to even begin the construction of the long-promised Pakenham Hospital gives me no confidence at all that
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down,” Ms Heath said. “It is not good enough.” A spokesperson for the Department of Health said the community hospital is vital for Pakenham. “Community hospitals, like this one we’re building in Pakenham, will help take pressure off Victoria’s major public hospitals and emergency departments, supporting doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to prioritise the most unwell patients – and improve treatment and waiting times,” they said. “Managed by Monash Health, the Pakenham Community Hospital will be a small public hospital providing a range of everyday health services for people who are not critically unwell.”
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fourth time. Many local people are giving up on seeking medical treatment altogether.” Ms Heath questions the current timeline amid movement by the State Government to save on costs in the health sector. As reported by The Age, Monash Health could be facing $200 million of proposed cuts due to budget-saving measures by the State Government. Reports circulate of further cost-saving measures, from consideration of mergers between the state’s 76 health services and allegations that the State Government has told over 20 regional health services of upcoming budget cuts. “Pakenham is one of the fastest growing areas in the state and the government is letting us
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it will happen,” Ms Heath said. “This failure of the government to deliver the Pakenham Hospital is a direct result of their financial mismanagement.” Based in Pakenham, Ms Heath’s office has received reports from locals who have reportedly struggled to access services nearby. “Locals are forced to travel to the next closest hospital in Casey and wait six hours or more in emergency because the system is overwhelmed,” Ms Heath said. “One local woman left after waiting more than six hours, only to be phoned by a doctor and directed to get an ambulance back to the hospital. A 79-year-old woman waited more than six hours before going home without treatment for the