Cuts fuel health spat

A LOCAL Federal MP has denied claims by the State Government that Casey Hospital’s health services may be at risk due to Federal Government funding cuts.
Eastern Victoria Region MP Edward O’Donohue said the Federal Government’s monthly contribution to Victoria’s health pool has been cut by $15.3 million for the second month in a row – bringing the total loss to $107 million over the current financial year.
“Labor has short-changed Victoria’s hospitals and put vital local health services at risk in the south-east, with wards and beds in danger of closing,” Mr O’Donohue said.
“Jobs in the south-east are also on the line as hospitals determine which staff they may have to let go to cope with the devastating funding cuts.”
Gembrook MP Brad Battin said the Casey Hospital serviced the heart of the Casey-Cardinia growth corridor, which continued to expand each day.
“Any reduction in hospital services to this area could be devastating,” Mr Battin said.
Mr O’Donohue called on Latrobe MP Laura Smyth to stand up for her local community and help protect health services in the south-east.
But Ms Smyth said the claims were “nonsense” and were a “shameless distraction” from the Liberal State Government’s own funding cuts.
“It has cut $616 million to Victorian health services while the Federal Government has been
increasing funding,” she said.
“In fact, the recent Commonwealth budget update confirmed health funding in Victoria will increase by 26 per cent over the next four years, from $3.6 billion in 2012/13 to $4.5 billion in 2015/16. That’s an additional $900 million.”
Ms Smyth said any reduction in funding to individual health services was a decision of the Baillieu Government.
She said Casey Hospital was set to receive 30 new beds for its sub-acute program, a $22 million Federally-funded project. The Federal Government have provided superclinics along with other investments into the region’s health network.