The State Labor Government’s plans to forcibly merge Gippsland health services have moved a step closer with the announcement of so-called local health service networks.
The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien said this was a further step in Labor’s plans to take away local decision making and reduce local services.
Mr O’Brien said Gippslanders should be very concerned about the impact these new health networks will have on local services.
“We have been warning for some time that Labor wanted to merge Victoria’s health services into a handful of organisations. We’ve seen it today now with a new Gippsland network combining eight different services into one network.
“While we are always keen to see efficiencies and sharing of resources across our health services, I am very concerned that this will actually lead to diminished local decision making in our rural and regional hospitals and ultimately a reduction in services.”
Mr O’Brien said he was also concerned that Gippsland Southern Health Service and Bass Coast Health were being grouped with a metropolitan service, not other Gippsland hospitals.
“It is hard to understand how Gippsland health services will have a strong voice when they’re overshadowed by major tertiary hospitals like the Alfred in the city.
“What guarantees will the Government provide that this won’t lead to services and funding being sucked back into the city?
“In simple geographic terms how Leongatha and Korumburra fit in with ‘Bayside’ defies logic.
“I am very concerned that the Government is proceeding with its merger plan by stealth, which will see local services diminished and local control taken away from our hospitals.”