Mildura hospital: Health Minister Martin Foley has hinted at new hospital

A huge boost to health care could be on the way for people living in Mildura, with a new hospital a step closer to becoming a reality.

A new hospital looks to be one step closer to becoming a reality for Mildura.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said a masterplan for health care in the northern Mallee “will deliver what the community of Mildura has always deserved” – a world-class public hospital and “services close to where people live”.

While he was vague in his wording, when asked in parliament by Mildura Independent MP Ali Cupper on Thursday to provide an update on the progress of the $2.1 million masterplan, Mr Foley said the plan was close to complete and he hinted at a new hospital being part of that plan.

He said that healthcare was the “hottest topic” in Northern Victoria and included a hint that the new hospital may be built in a more central location than the current hospital.

“The masterplan will deliver what the community of Mildura has always deserved, a world-class public hospital that is able to deliver services close to where people live and to get the services they need in partnership with the wider public health system,” Mr Foley said.

He pointed out to parliament that said that Mildura and the Mallee consistently sat above average in “negative” health outcomes and that the high Aboriginal population and isolated nature of the city needed to be taken into account when planning the future of healthcare.

Mr Foley also said that he would be delighted to visit Mildura and speak with staff of the current hospital, in order to produce the best possible outcome for everyone.

Ms Cupper spoke to parliament earlier in the week about improving healthcare for the Mallee and raised the idea for a new ambulance station in Irymple.

She also made a request to make the Advancing Paramedic Roles Implementation Pilot program permanent, and expand it to towns like Robinvale to address GP shortages.

The Pilot is a trial program which creates new roles for paramedics in rural communities, in new settings such as urgent care and primary care complementing the work of GPs, nurse practitioners and other health workers.

Ms Cupper said that this program had been a “hands down game changer in Ouyen”.

She said that people in the Mildura region were not denying the limitations to healthcare in rural areas but that they rightly expect a “basic standard minimum of service”.