With pressure mounting on the Mildura Base Hospital to meet new targets set by the Victorian government in its push to save $1 billion across the health sector, local MP Jade Benham appeared on the Country Viewpoint program to address her fears for the community.
The Member for Mildura said the Mildura community and neighbouring towns would be plunged into chaos if extreme measures were taken in order for the government to claw back funds.
"The community would be outraged," Benham said.
"What the Labor government and her department is asking of our board is to put in writing some extra measures into their budget action plan and we know that every hospital and health service in Victoria has to make extreme cuts to their bottom line and find efficiencies.
"The department asking the board to put it in writing is really, really alarming because as we know by now, the Labor government cannot manage money and they cannot manage the health system and it's families in Mildura that pay the price every single day."
The possible closure of the emergency department would force locals to travel as far as Swan Hill, nearly a three hour drive, for typical country emergency scenarios such as snake bites and accidents on farms.
Benham went on to illustrate that the potential cuts to the local health network would almost certainly result in lives being lost.
"Swan Hill, Bendigo, if that was to happen [closure of emergency department in Mildura], it would absolutely cost lives," Benham said.
"Given that the nearest emergency room is 400 kilometres away, it would absolutely cost lives, which is why we are saying this is absolutely off the table.
"Do not even put it in writing, you cannot ask that of our local board, but if the department does do that, and then six months down the track, obviously those efficiencies and those targets are not able to be met, I can just see that you know the government will say 'oh well we do need to consolidate to help meet our budget target'.
"Well no, hang on a minute, remembering that they were so proud when they brought this hospital back to public management and that's fine, the way it should be, we were promised better services, we were promised more community consultation, we were promised that everything was going to get better and at this point, nothing has changed except for the sign out the front.
"In fact, many people and many patients and members of the community think that it's gotten worse."
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