Victorian budget 2022: Albury-Wodonga and Mildura hospitals miss out on funds

Millions have been announced for regional health in Victoria’s budget but two northern hospitals have missed out.

Two key regional hospitals have so far missed out on major funding from the state government. Picture: David Geraghty

Millions have been announced for regional health in Victoria’s budget, but the government has been silent on funding for two key regional hospitals.

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NORTH EAST

Albury-Wodonga has been left to endure 12 months more pain following a funding snub for a new border hospital in the Victorian budget.

Border cancer specialist Craig Underhill said he couldn’t fathom why a new hospital that the entire community supported continued to miss out.

“The current state of the hospital is really quite difficult and we deserve a lot better,” he said.

“Why does it always need to be based on some sort of lobbying effort?”

Member for Benambra Bill Tilley said the border cities had suffered long enough and called for the immediate release of a master plan to guide future health infrastructure needs on the border.

“That plan was supposed to be the starting point to a new hospital but disappeared on the minister’s desk,” he said.

“Daniel Andrews has made a lot of noise about his commitment to Albury Wodonga Health and the budget was a chance to honour those words with dollars and finally release the plan to the people who are suffering.

“The last thing we want is for Wodonga to become the northern outpost of Wangaratta’s health service.”

A Victorian Government spokesman said the master plan had not been completed when contacted by The Weekly Times.

Indi MP Helen Haines said the Victorian government had “let down” people on the border.

“There were big promises for health in this budget, yet Albury Wodonga Health, the busiest regional health service outside Geelong, has been ignored,” she said.

“The master plan for a world class hospital on the border has been sitting on the Health Minister’s desk for months, in that time we have been through Code Yellow multiple times and we know our population is increasing and demand growing day by day.

“The federal government and now the Victorian Government are playing political games with our health and it’s not good enough.”

OUR HOSPITALS AND STAFF AT BREAKING POINT!
Border leaders have launched a community campaign to win Fed, Vic and NSW Govt funding to build a new single site regional public hospital. Join the rally on Sun, 15 May from 11am, at a venue to be announced. Pls like, retweet & follow. pic.twitter.com/cz8ysHYw4Q

— Better Border Health (@BBorderhealth) May 2, 2022

NORTH WEST

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Andrews government has been silent on any commitment towards a new Mildura Base Public Hospital – a replacement of existing, ageing facilities – which Ms Cupper has backed as a “key priority” for the region.

Liberal MP for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell labelled the government’s failure to fund a new hospital “inexcusable”.

Opposition leader Matthew Guy visited Mildura last month to announce a funding commitment of $750 million to build a new hospital and academic health precinct in Mildura if he was elected.

As part of Tuesday’s budget, Mildura is set to receive a new 30-bed residential drug and alcohol withdrawal and rehabilitation centre.

The $36 million facility is the result of years of campaigning by independent MP Ali Cupper and Mildura residents who say they have lost loved ones to alcohol and drug-related illness, and have struggled to support family through the rehabilitation process when the closest facility was more than four hours away in Bendigo.

GEELONG

Tuesday’s budget contains more than $500 million to deliver the Barwon Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Geelong.

The facility will have new operating theatres and expanded paediatric and maternity inpatient units, birthing suites, special care nursery, maternity assessment unit and women’s and paediatric outpatient services.

WORKFORCE, INFRASTRUCTURE AND EQUIPMENT UPGRADES

The Victorian Government has pledged $300 million for upgrades at every regional hospital, including operating theatre refurbishments, equipment upgrades and accessible paths and ramps. $372 million will be spent on workforce initiatives. The government plans to hire more than 1500 mental health workers, including 400 mental health nurses, 100 psychiatrists and 300 psychologists.

AGED CARE

Three new public sector residential aged care facilities will be built in Camperdown, Mansfield and Orbost through a $146 million package. Aged care facilities in Bright and Heywood aged care will be redeveloped.

MENTAL HEALTH

WANGARATTA will receive a new mental health facility under plans announced by the Andrews Government on Tuesday.

The Labor government has funded design work on a facility to replace and expand an existing 20-bed mental health unit.

The new facility, which will be located at Wangaratta hospital, will be expanded to a 36-bed hub to service North East Victoria.

Northeast Health Wangaratta chief operating officer Robyn Gillis told media the design would take time and a new facility could be “several years away”.

BALLARAT is set to receive $29 million in funding to provide 33 new acute mental health beds to reduce pressure on existing services.

LATROBE Regional Hospital will receive an emergency department hub for regional Victorians experiencing serious mental health and alcohol and drug issues.

The government announced funding to plan hubs at Bendigo and Shepparton.