CONCERNS over a possible merger of regional health services in western Victoria are mounting with worried locals urged to attend a second protest rally organised for Warrnambool on Friday, August 16 at the Civic Green at 1pm.

Meanwhile a petition has been circulating by health shadow minister, Georgie Crozier, drawing attention to the Legislative Council’s plans to amalgamate local regional and rural hospitals across the state.

The petition expresses concern that such a decision could reduce the range of vital and lifesaving healthcare options available to our local communities and job losses.

Local practitioner Dr Andrew Bowman who works as a physician with the Hamilton Medical Group and as director of rehabilitation at Western District Health Service (WDHS), said locals were concerned they are being left in the dark about what was happening with regards to a possible merger.

“At a senior medical staff meeting recently, I put it on the agenda to ask the chief executive and the board what their official response to these concerns were,” he said.

“Basically, the chief executive and a board member had been to the health department for discussions and all she (the WDHS chief executive) could tell us is that it’s either going to be a partnership or an amalgamation but nothing could be confirmed at the moment.”

Dr Bowman said he put a scenario forward and asked what would happen if there was a partnership or a contract with another health service, “how would that work?”

“What would happen if they don’t fulfill their part of the contract?

“What recourse would we have.”

He said she responded that at this stage how it would work was unclear.

“There’s nothing like that known to them - no one knows how it will work or if it will,” Dr Bowman said.

“Those are the main concerns.

“At this point we have no idea about anything.

“They say it’s not about money - that’s hard to believe.

“WDHS has been run quite efficiently for the last 20 years.”

He said every year they had achieved a surplus in their budget.

“(Other) local health services are in the red so why WDHS has to be partnered with someone else, is not clear,” Dr Bowman said.

“I’ve been (in Hamilton) for 22 years and over that time a lot of the equipment has not been provided by the State Government but by the people from the district.

“Things like the steriliser, the ventilators in the intensive care unit, the cancer suite, the MRI, the National Centre for Farmer Health - not one of those has been strongly supported by the state.”

He said when the hospital was in need of equipment like that, it is taken to the board and they mobilised the community to raise money.

Dr Bowman said there were widespread and grave concerns about how that would work in the future if WDHS and its board was to merge.

“How would it work with a new board to get the community going with things like fundraising?” he asked.

“I don’t know how we would make that happen.”

He cited other examples of recent mergers with Ballarat where services had been reduced.

“Those health services were promised all sorts of things like obstetrics but none of that has come through,” Dr Bowman said.

“People from Stawell and Horsham, they have to go to Ballarat.

“We are concerned patients will have to go elsewhere.”

Dr Bowman expressed concern that the WDHS community was very much in the dark about what could happen.

“I don’t think people at WDHS are across everything,” he said.

“We are concerned that we’re very much in the dark.

“The community in general doesn’t understand the implications if we lose local control.”

Wannon MP Dan Tehan will be attending the rally as will South West Coast MP Roma Britnell.

Mr Tehan said the threat of mergers was “deeply concerning”.

“We need the Federal and State Government to come clean as to what they are proposing,” he said.

“The community is very, very worried about potential board mergers and reductions in service.

“We need both governments, Federal and State, to come clean and say there will be no cuts to service and that there will be no forced board mergers.”

Mr Tehan said he would be joining community members at the rally from the townships of Portland, Hamilton, Coleraine, Casterton, Warrnambool, Mortlake, Timboon and Camperdown.

He had a strong message for the Victorian Government.

“Hands off our hospitals,” Mr Tehan said.

Ms Britnell said the mergers were not what the community members want.

“The community want to protect their health services,” she said.

“They don’t want to see cuts; they don’t want to see mergers.

“They want to see more investment in health, not less.”

Lowan MP Emma Kealy said it made no sense for the government to destroy local health services.

“Research shows that the most financially efficient hospitals with the best health outcomes for patients are based on local decision making through local management and governance,”she said.

“Labor’s Grampians Health merger has resulted in cuts to services, cuts to local management and staff, longer wait times, and has had a devastating impact on staff morale.

“Labor must see the failure of large-scale health amalgamations and immediately rule out any plans to merge WDHS into either Warrnambool or even worse, Geelong.”

She said according to the Victorian Agency for Health Information waiting times to treatment in hospital emergency departments showed that Hamilton Base Hospital had the lowest wait times.

“Warrnambool has longer wait times and University Hospital Geelong is even worse,” Ms Kealy said.

WDHS and Casterton Memorial Hospital dual chief executive, Rowena Clift, said she was aware of recent activities across the region, including parliamentary petitions, meetings, and rallies, expressing concerns over possible health service mergers.

“We appreciate the passion and dedication our community has shown in advocating for our health services,” she said.

“I want to assure the community that we share their desire for clarity and certainty on this issue.

“However, like all health services across the State, we are awaiting more details about the Government’s proposal.

“Unfortunately, at this stage, we do not have any further information beyond what has already been communicated in the media.

“I can confirm that during the consultation process with the Expert Advisory Committee, which was established to explore how public health services can better collaborate to improve care for all Victorians, both myself and the Boards strongly advocated for the best interests of Western District Health Service and Casterton Memorial Hospital.

 “Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to the community for their unwavering support and dedication to WDHS and CMH.”

Ms Clift did not confirm if any representatives from WDHS would be attending the rally on August 16.

Concern is widespread across western Victoria.

Corangamite Shire Cr Kate Makin representing South West Ward, that included Timboon Health Service, has been helping to organise the protest rally.

Cr Makin said her community was also “very up in arms about it”.

She said likewise Hamilton residents and practitioners had expressed concerned about the potential mergers especially as there had not been so little information from the government.