Political football over hospital beds

DANDENONG Hospital beds could soon close due to Federal Government health cuts, according to the Liberal Bruce candidate Emanuelle Cicchiello.
But Bruce MP Alan Griffin said Mr Cicchiello’s comments were “a shameless distraction from the Baillieu Government’s own savage cuts to health”.
“Our first priority remains the health and wellbeing of all Victorians,” he said.
“So let’s set the record straight. Any reduction in funding to individual health services is a decision of the Baillieu Government.
“It distributes money to local hospitals, not the Commonwealth.”
Mr Griffin said the State Government had cut $616 million to Victorian health services while the Federal Government had increased funding.
Mr Cicchiello said Southern Health, which operates Dandenong Hospital, had seen more than $13.6 million in funding slashed from its budget this financial year.
“Southern Health has already been forced to close a 28‐bed ward at Clayton’s Monash Medical Centre to cover the funding cut,” he said.
“I fear that Dandenong Hospital will be next in line to lose beds because of Labor’s financial mismanagement.
“I’ll fight relentlessly for this funding to be reinstated.
“Local hospital management has confirmed these cuts will lead to reduced health services, a blow‐out in waiting lists and could potentially lead to job losses.”
Southern Health chief executive Shelly Park on 7 January told staff through a memorandum that impacts on staff and patients were unavoidable.
She said Southern Health was “dealing with a significant budget reduction in our budget due to an unexpected cut to our funding”.
“To date, we received $1.1 million less in funding in December 2012 and we have received $1.2 million less in funding in January 2013,” she said.
“We will be changing the way we deliver our care.
“We have no choice but to reduce elective surgery, so we operate within our available income.”
Ms Park said emergency departments were a high cost service and their efficiency needed to be improved, and warned staff they might need to relocate.