Baillieu health cuts force more sick children to wait
Posted: Friday, 6 January 2012 | By: Daniel Andrews
Sick children are the latest victims of Premier Baillieu’s savage health budget cuts, with the latest data showing growth funding shortfalls will force hospitals to perform 8000 less elective surgeries this financial year, the Leader of the Opposition, Daniel Andrews, said today.
As a result, Mr Andrews said 6000 more Victorians will be waiting for elective surgery at the end of the year including an additional 2000 children.
“Mr Baillieu promised he would deliver more elective surgeries than the previous Labor Government,” Mr Andrews said.
“Instead, the 2011-12 Statement of Priorities for Victorian hospitals data shows Victorian hospitals will perform 7751 less elective surgeries this financial year – not more.
“Mr Baillieu’s health cuts will also result in a ballooning waiting list, which is expected to grow by 6349 patients.
“Sadly, vulnerable sick children will be hardest hit by Mr Baillieu’s growth funding shortfall. At the Royal Children’s Hospital, 2150 more children will be put on the waiting list for treatment including vital heart, bone, eye, brain and ear, nose and throat surgery.
“Mr Baillieu is happy to walk around taking credit for the new children’s hospital Labor built, but when it comes to doing the hard work of delivering better care for our children the Premier is nowhere to be seen.”
Mr Andrews said the Baillieu Government’s growth funding shortfalls had forced hospitals to make the difficult decision to reduce the number of elective surgeries this year.
“When hospitals cut elective surgery, you know the health system is critically underfunded,” he said.
“It confirms what health professionals have been saying for months – Victoria’s hospital system has never been as bad as this.
“And it will only get worse if Mr Baillieu has his way in the nurses’ dispute and cuts a further $100 million from the health budget each year, meaning the equivalent of 1758 nurses will be lost from Victoria’s health system.”
Mr Andrews said elective surgery patients were the latest casualty of Mr Baillieu’s $500 million cut to Victoria’s health system revealed in this year’s State Budget.
“Mr Baillieu has not added one extra doctor, one extra nurse or one extra hospital bed – and has abandoned his promise to deliver an extra 100 hospital beds this year,” he said.
“He and his Government are clearly feeling the heat on health which is why they tried to bury these figures by dropping them during the busy holiday period.”