West Gippsland Hospital will be short-changed $14.2 million – the equivalent of its entire annual elective surgery budget – claims Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing.
Ms Shing said the $14.2 million cut for West Gippsland Healthcare Group over five years from 2020 to 2025 would mean the equivalent of 114 fewer nurses, 48 fewer doctors or just under 2300 fewer elective surgeries.
Consulting anaesthesiologist Dr Robert Sinnett, who worked at the hospital for 37 years, believes the cuts would be “a disaster”, with job cuts and blown out elective surgery waitlists.
“We couldn’t operate with that kind of loss without massive cuts,” said Dr Sinnett.
However, the funding cut claims were rubbished by Member for McMillan Russell Broadbent who stated the Victorian Government figures were “distorted” and “misleading”.
Mr Broadbent said the Turnbull Government would provide a “huge” increase of 6.5 per cent in funding - four times higher than the rate of inflation.
“Any shortfall for country Victoria is because the (state) government allows that to happen. They manage the funds,” he said.
