New analysis released today by the Victorian Government confirms waiting times will blow out, electives surgery will be cut and patients will suffer as a result of Tony Abbott’s $57 billion in hospital cuts.
Tony Abbott repeatedly promised during the 2013 election “no cuts to health” but in his very first Budget tore up Labor’s National Health Reform Agreement with the states and ripped $57 billion out of their hospital funding.
Today’s analysis shows that broken promise will cost Victorian hospitals alone $13.6 billion over the next decade, but the real cost will be borne by patients.
The funding cut is the equivalent of more than 2.3 million elective surgeries and means Victorians will wait even longer in emergency departments and on elective surgery waiting lists.
No region will be safe with major metropolitan health services like, Monash, Alfred, Eastern and Melbourne Health all losing more than $1 billion. Barwon Health loses $642 million, Bendigo $364 million and Ballarat $348 million.
At last week’s COAG meeting with state and territory leaders Mr Abbott himself admitted these cuts were not sustainable.
Despite this, reports today make clear next month’s Budget will persist with these cuts, with further savings being sought from the health portfolio.
Australians deserve better than a government which only ever sees health as a source for Budget cuts.
Only Labor believes in Medicare, and only Labor will protect Medicare and build the health system for the 21st Century that Australian deserve.