LAST weekend, Ali Cupper said both she and the community had been “strung along” by the Victorian Government over the long-delayed masterplan for a new local public hospital.
And this week, the Member for Mildura described recent multibillion-dollar funding announcements for Melbourne hospitals as a “kick in the guts”, given the Andrews Government continues its stalling tactics in regard to its plans for health care in the north-west.
As an independent, Ms Cupper is right to vent her frustration at the government and to keep questioning them on her electorate’s behalf.
Sunraysia Daily‘s role is also to question and advocate on our community’s behalf, but we too have hit a brick wall when it comes to getting answers regarding the Northern Mallee health masterplan.
Remember, the government promised to release it more than six months ago, yet has offered no explanation for its ongoing delay.
We have contacted the government on multiple occasions and emailed questions, as well as requesting interviews with new Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas. So far, no good.
Ms Thomas went on ABC Radio this week to talk up the new hospital to be built in Melbourne under what the Victorian Government is claiming is “the biggest hospital project in Australia’s history”.
The medical precinct will be built in North Melbourne alongside the new Arden train station, which is part of the under-construction Metro Tunnel Project.
The new facility will be part of a $5-to-$6 billion expansion of the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Royal Women’s Hospital.
The announcement came less than a week after Labor pledged to spend up to $675 million to build a new West Gippsland hospital if re-elected.
The new hospital, on a greenfield site in Drouin East, would have 223 beds and 33 emergency department treatment space.
And before that Daniel Andrews pledged more than $1 billion to expand Maroondah Hospital in Ringwood East and rename it in honour of Queen Elizabeth II if re-elected.
They are all significant announcements, yet Mildura still waits.
Is it a political game or are we just being ignored?
As Ms Cupper argued this week, the multi-billion dollar hospital project announcement in Melbourne was framed as helping the whole state.
But Mildura people are already forced to travel enormous distances to Melbourne too often, as our hospital doesn’t have room to host enough specialists here.
I’ve argued in this column before that when it comes to health care, our remoteness and distance from Melbourne should work in our favour, not against us.
“There are times when Mildura residents need complex care that can only be provided in the city. However, we also know that a new hospital in Mildura would prevent many people from having to travel to Melbourne in the first place,” Ms Cupper said.
“We need a hospital that not only reflects our population size, but also our remoteness, our social and economic situation, and the aspirations of the hospital’s board of directors to be a centre of excellence in rural and remote health.”
The Victorian Government has made clear that our current facilities are inadequate. Former Health Minister Martin Foley said as much during a tour here in early May.
So our hope must remain that this Labor Government is on a pre-election tour of hospital announcements and we are next.
We have to be next.
Mr Premier, Minister Thomas, it’s time to talk.
