It was a privilege to be able to offer my praise in Parliament to Northeast Health Wangaratta and the incredible staff who form the backbone of our community.
These men and women work tirelessly in testing circumstances, often managing a wide range of trauma day in, day out without proper recognition.
My acknowledgment of this resilient group of people comes as the Minister for Health further tightens the budget of the health system, which is already wreaking havoc amongst Victorian hospitals and patients.
We are seeing new mothers; mere hours post-delivery being tossed out of hospitals amid shortages of both beds and staff. This has the potential to create a catastrophic chain of events where mothers and newborn babies are denied vital and necessary healthcare in those fragile few hours and days that follow the life changing event that giving birth is.
I strongly urge the Allan Labor Government to make immediate changes and show respect to the new mothers and babies of the Ovens Valley, in addition to the healthcare workers who are repeatedly forced to work in dangerous situations as a result of Labor’s continuous cuts to integral parts of our healthcare system.
To the staff of Northeast Health Wangaratta, I applaud your effort, dedication, and continual support that you provide our community, it does not go unnoticed.
I will continue to fight for the changes that will allow our hospitals and healthcare providers to do the work that we desperately need them to do.
Tim McCurdy MP
Member for Ovens Valley