Member Services
- Text Decrease
- Text Increase
- Print Page
Victoria denied fair share of health infrastructure funds
13 May 2009.
The Federal Budget missed an opportunity to improve Victoria’s health care infrastructure, according to AMA Victoria, with the State of Victoria missing out on a fair share of federal health infrastructure funds.
AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis said the Federal Budget was tight but Victoria should not have been excluded from its fair share of health infrastructure funding. "We’ve got a quarter of the population, we pay a quarter of Australia’s taxes, so it’s not unreasonable to expect a quarter of the funds."
"Demand for health care in Victoria is growing at a rapid rate, and more and more patients are being treated in hospitals with crumbling infrastructure and inadequate facilities," he said. "It’s disappointing that the Federal Budget did not contribute to the major hospital rebuilding projects desperately needed in Victoria."
Dr Travis noted last week’s announcement for the Parkville cancer centre, but said that this welcomed funding did not address the shortfall in last night’s Budget.
An extra $1.46 billion in health infrastructure was announced in last night’s Budget. Of these funds, Victoria secured $120 million for a new principal blood manufacturing facility for the Australian Red Cross Blood Service in Melbourne, which will serve all Australians, and $13 million to build a state-of-the-art tissue banking facility for the Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria
While welcoming the investments, Dr Travis said a bit more than ten per cent would have been nice.
Victorian Medical Directory
Quick Reference Links
Networks
Preferred Providers
Next
Prev