The Allan Labor Government is marching ahead with mergers of regional health services, regardless of its spin and rhetoric.
A report today revealed regional health will be consolidated into five “local health service networks” – Barwon South West, Grampians, Loddon Mallee, Hume and Gippsland.
Premier Allan has claimed here will be no “forced” amalgamations, but these are mega-mergers which also create another level of bureaucracy.
Leader of The Nationals, Peter Walsh, said: “Labor can call them networks or alliances, but it is still planning massive amalgamations”.
“We support local hospitals for local people, yet these mergers take management and key decision making away from locals,” Mr Walsh said.
“Decisions and cuts will be made from centralised hubs in big regional centres, in some instances a long way away from the actual local health service.
”Regional patients in some cases will have to travel hundreds of kilometres from where they live to where the services are delivered.”
Mr Walsh said local hospital boards would lose power, playing an advisory role only as key policies are set by central boards in large centres.
Deputy Leader of The Nationals, Emma Kealy, said mergers are mergers, no matter how they are disguised.
“If it looks like a merger, impacts hospitals like a merger, then it is a merger,” Ms Kealy said.
“It is illogical to think adding another layer of administrative bureaucracy would ever make Victoria’s health system more efficient. Local jobs and local services will be lost.
“This has all happened because Labor can’t manage money and regional health services are paying the price.”