Ballarat Health is receiving around $4.4 million in additional Federal funding flowing from the Australian Government’s health reforms, Federal Member for Ballarat, Catherine King, said today.
This investment will fund eighteen beds in Ballarat Health this year. In addition, it will allow for around 130 more patients to be treated in emergency departments.
The investment into Ballarat’s health system was part of $128 million the Federal Government paid to the Victorian Government for health services last Thursday, in accordance with the agreement signed in August 2011.
Under that agreement, Ballarat Health will receive up to $19 million for capital investment and infrastructure support.
Ms King said the money was targeted to Ballarat to ensure that local patients benefited from improved health facilities and services.
“The Federal Government is totally committed to reforming our health and hospital system to ensure that patients in every part of this nation receive the care they need, when they need it,” Ms King said.
“That applies to Ballarat and other regions of Victoria where the new facilities and extra services flowing from the Federal funding will make a big difference to patients needing hospital treatment.
“The Government is delivering real reforms and real dollars to provide more beds and more services.”
Ms King welcomed the Federal Government commitment to health care in Ballarat.
“This is a big win for Ballarat Health, for our community and particularly for our dedicated hospital workers who have been doing it tough since the Baillieu Government began its slash and burn campaign,” she said.
“This investment is in stark contrast to the $15.36 million the Premier has ripped from Ballarat Health.”
The additional funding has been earmarked for Ballarat Health out of a total of $822 million in additional federal funding available to the Victorian Government under the National Partnership Agreement on Improving Public Hospital Services. Victoria signed the agreement in February 2011.
In total, the National Partnership Agreement on Improving Public Hospital Services will deliver up to $3.4 billion in additional funding to states and territories, between 2009 and 2017.