Hands Off Our Hospitals

Victorians are being asked to add their voice to the Liberal Nationals campaign standing against the Andrews Labor Government’s plan to amalgamate local hospitals across the state.

State Liberal Member for Eildon, Cindy McLeish believes the merger of regional hospitals is a disaster waiting to happen.

Ms McLeish said, “Appointing larger health services to lead smaller hospitals will take the ‘local’ out of local hospitals. It will only create mega-hospitals controlled by inner-city bureaucrats.”

“Hospital mergers will mean longer waiting lists for limited health services, loss of local control, increased travel to get treatment and possible local job losses.”

Discussions are already well underway in the Western part of the State. Hospitals at Wangaratta, Echuca, Horsham, Wonthaggi, Bairnsdale, Mildura, and Warrnambool are among those to be targeted by Labor’s plan.

It will see health services at Albury Wodonga, Shepparton, Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong and Traralgon appointed as lead organisations in what Labor’s trying to sell as “Regional Area Health Partnerships”.

To stop the plan, the Victorian Liberal Nationals have launched the ‘Hands Off Our Hospitals’ campaign, to give Victorians who do not want to see amalgamations go ahead a voice.

Ms McLeish continues, “Health services fear the merger is designed to simplify the process of sweeping amalgamations in the future.

“It is clear the city centric Andrews Labor Government doesn’t understand the importance of local services.

“Those living in regional Victoria appreciate knowing their doctors and health service staff members on a personal level. In some cases, families know them for generations. We don’t want to see that care broken.”

Sign the petition at: www.handsoffourhospitals.com.au