The Nationals Senator for Victoria Bridget McKenzie said millions of dollars will be slashed from the budget of Bendigo Health Care Group, thanks to Labor’s desire to reach a budget surplus in an election year.
“The combined 2011/12 and 2012/13 budget cuts by the Commonwealth will leave Bendigo Health $2,966,000 out of pocket.
“Regional health services will suffer from the retrospective and ongoing cuts, which are a threat to elective surgery and other important local health services.
“Local health service managers and health professionals work hard to provide quality care for Bendigo and central Victorian communities within their budget.
“The last thing they need is for the Gillard Government to pull the economic rug out from underneath them mid-year.
“It’s clear the PM is only focused on re-election and not on the health of people in Bendigo and central Victoria.”
Gillard Government health cuts:
- $2.8 billion cut by means testing of private health insurance rebates.
- $700 million cut by not paying the rebate on private health insurance increases above CPI.
- $390 million cut by completely removing rebates from Lifetime Health Cover loading.
- Over $1 billion robbed in dividends from Medibank that should have been putting downward pressure on premiums.
- Another $1 billion cut from dental health by abandoning chronically ill patients to public lists.
- Hundreds of millions in multiple cuts to the Medicare Safety Net, including obstetrics and IVF.
- Limiting new medicines onto the PBS by politicising the process.
- $1.6 billion cut from health payments to the States and Territories.