Labor’s Health Minister asleep at the wheel on community health

Minister for Health, Jenny Mikakos has avoided answering one of the biggest questions facing Victoria’s embattled health system — how many other community health organisations is the Minister aware of that are having financial problems and sought assistance from the state?

Recently, Castlemaine District Community Health revealed that it may have to cut staff, cut health services or close its doors due to insufficient funding.

In Question Time last week, it was revealed that these health organisations throughout Victoria have been placed under an enormous financial strain because of cuts and funding shortfalls.

Community health centres operate across Victoria and offer a range of community health services to local residents, especially for disadvantaged Victorians, some of which have the poorest of health and the greatest economic and social needs.

Since the 2018 election, Victorians have endured Labor’s funding cuts to dental and community health, funding shortfalls for hospital upgrades, cuts to acute admitted hospital funding to four health networks, zero infrastructure dollars for ten Community Hospitals, State Government funding uncertainty for flu shots for kids, cuts to women’s health, cuts to some palliative care services, cuts to health protection and cuts to cancer treatment technology.

Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Health, Georgie Crozier:

“Community health provides health and services to some of the most vulnerable Victorians, yet the Minister deliberately avoided how many centres are suffering financial strain.”

“Daniel Andrews has let Victoria’s health funding cuts get so bad that we are seeing a vital regional community health centre under financial strain and a Minister who refuses to let Victorians know if their local service will shut its doors.”

 

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