Thursday, 12 April 2018

More patients in Gippsland will be able to get the health care they need closer to home, thanks to a Budget boost for the Andrews Labor Government’s flagship Regional Health Infrastructure Fund.

Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Harriet Shing, today announced the Victorian Budget 2018/19 will include a $50 million boost so more hospitals and health services can benefit from the fund – bringing the total investment up to $250 million.

So far, the fund has allocated money to 172 projects across the state over two rounds, including more than $29.4m for health services in Gippsland

In round one, we invested a total of $24,467,219 in Gippsland as follows:

Meanwhile, in round two, Gippsland received $5,017,806:

More round two projects will be announced over coming months.

This year’s boost will fund even more projects to improve the quality and safety of hospital infrastructure, meet growing demand for healthcare and provide world-class equipment to improve patient outcomes.

Last year’s Budget delivered $1.67 billion to support hospitals to meet demand and provide the care Victorian patients deserve, as well as $428.5 million in new hospital upgrades.

This is in stark contrast to Malcolm Turnbull who has declared his intention to short-change Victoria’s hospitals by $2.1 billion – and put patients at risk – with his proposed and deeply flawed National Health Reform Agreement.

Across Gippsland this will hit patients and local families hard.

The agreement Malcolm Turnbull put on the table would mean a $92.3m shortfall for Gippsland that’s the equivalent of 309 doctors, 738 nurses or 13,129 elective surgeries.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Jill Hennessy

“Support for our regional health services is about more than just words – it’s about delivering real investment to make sure patients get the care they need, no matter their postcode.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Harriet Shing

“Every Victorian deserves access to quality care when they need it. Thanks to the Regional Health Infrastructure Fund, we’re supporting our doctors and nurses to do just that.”

“This Budget funding boost ensures that even more health services in Gippsland get the upgrades they need so more patients can be treated sooner, closer to home.”

“Our investment is making a real difference to patients in Gippsland.  We’re giving our dedicated doctors and nurses the modern facilities they need to save lives and keep us healthy.”