Funding squeeze will be critical blow to state’s ailing health system

It was barely three years ago that Victorians were confined to the safety of their homes, while the vital organs of Victoria’s hospital system – doctors, nurses, cleaners and allied health workers – donned full-length gowns, masks and gloves to save lives during the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

Months rolled into years of untenable and deteriorating conditions in our hospitals, as the pandemic exposed and aggravated the vulnerabilities in our ailing health system.If we have learnt anything from the pandemic, it is the vital importance of a properly funded healthcare system, and that catastrophic consequences are inevitable when this is undermined, overlooked and neglected by politicians tasked with spending public money.

These revelations punch a hole in Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas’ “nothing to see here” rhetoric this week, including claims that cuts are aimed at skimming the fat off hospital budgets by targeting executive wages, marketing staff and overseas travel.

To its credit, the Andrews government boosted hospital funding after COVID-19, including a $1.5 billion catch-up plan and reforms to surgery in April 2022 before a state election focused on health. The reforms improved staffing and resources and streamlined activity, as well as including plans to increase the number of operations performed.

Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)

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