Patients in regional Victoria will pay the price for Tony Abbott’s broken promises on hospital cuts.
New analysis released by the Victorian Government confirms the state’s hospitals will lose $13.6 billion over the next ten years as a result of Tony Abbott’s $57 billion in hospital cuts.
In my own electorate, Ballarat Health alone will lose $348 million, despite Tony Abbott’s promise during the 2013 election of “no cuts to health”.
But Ballarat is far from isolated, with every region suffering as a result of Tony Abbott’s broken promise, including:
- Barwon Health, which will lose $642 million
- Bendigo Health, which will lose $364 million
- Albury Wodonga Health, which will lose $278 million
- Latrobe Regional Hospital, which will lose $249 million
- Goulburn Valley Health, which will lose $231 million
- Mildura Base Hospital, which will lose $135 million
- Northeast Health Wangaratta, which will lose $123 million
- West Gippsland Health Care Group, which will lose $92 million
- Wimmera Health Care Group, which will lose $79 million
These cuts – which come on top of $1 billion ripped out of health by the previous State Liberal Government – will see patients across regional Victoria waiting even longer for treatment in emergency departments and for elective surgery
But the real cost will be borne by patients. Across the state 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.
At last month’s COAG meeting with state and territory leaders Mr Abbott himself admitted these cuts were not sustainable.
The people of Victoria 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.