26/04/2024
It has been reported widely in the media that the state budget for Victoria, to be released on May 7, is likely to have significant cost reductions to manage escalating state debt.
The Victorian health system makes up about 30 per cent of the state budget and it has been reported that this percentage has been increasing.
We will be watching closely on May 7 to understand what the impacts will be on East Grampians Health Service, our staff and the community.
The operation of the Victorian health system is being reviewed by the Victorian Government in a bid to improve its performance, including clinical outcomes and ensuring the services are accessible for all Victorians no matter where you live, your gender, racial and socio-economic status. The current financial environment and looking for efficiencies will be part of the review.
The Victorian Department of Health has established an expert advisory committee to undertake this work. The Chair of the panel is Bob Cameron, former Member of the Victorian Parliament who held a number of Ministries, as well as other panel members with extensive experience in the Victorian Public Health System.
The review will make recommendations on how to improve the services the Victorian community receives from its public health services, but on most measures Victoria has one of the best systems in the world, although as we know, requires constant review and analysis to keep on improving.
The EGHS board has been clear it is focused on improving its performance and that of the Victorian health system.
It is committed to strengthening our partnerships with all health service providers including Grampians Health, all public and private providers. The board has expressed this view to the panel and local Member for Ripon Martha Haylett and Member for Lowan Emma Kealy.
The EGHS Board is proud of its achievements in supervising and monitoring the performance of the health service and lobbying and promoting its interests. The Board is working with the Victorian Government and awaits the details of the report.
The Victorian Government will then need to consider the report and if it accepts the findings, commit the resources to implement them.