Charlotte Varcoe
LIBERAL Member for MacKillop Nick McBride has welcomed the Labor Party’s pledge of a $52.7m funding package for Limestone Coast health.
Announced during a recent whirlwind visit to the region by Leader of the Opposition, Peter Malinauskas, the pledge includes $9.75m for a seven-year funding agreement with the Keith and District Hospital and $8m to upgrade the Naracoorte Hospital, both of which are in Mr McBride’s electorate.
Speaking last Friday at a Limestone Coast Local Government Association meeting in Mount Gambier, the local MP said Labor’s funding pledge covered some “very important areas”.
“I welcome the Labor Party’s announcement and encourage my government to match the funding prior to the March election,” Mr McBride said.
“I wasn’t going to run around and say ‘don’t spend money’ on the Limestone Coast.
“I would like to see more money spent on regional health and the likes of our hospitals and service upgrades, particularly palliative care.”
Mr McBride also spoke on hospital ramping and the outcome of recent submissions on the issue.
“What is really fascinating coming out of the submissions is the bottleneck beyond the emergency department and there being no way for patients to move beyond the emergency department,” he said.
“What is also really interesting is the ambulance association recognised 20,000 shifts of overtime per annum and they are saying there are not enough people.
“If you are in business and paying penalty rates and double time, you are actually spending more money than employing more people to do the job.”
He said the money was there but the problem was not being solved and it was also a matter of looking at who is responsible for patients moving through the emergency department whether it be the State or Federal government to fund the beds.
Minister for Health Stephen Wade has previously been reported as saying the Opposition’s health funding announcement was “nothing but spin”.
“In fact this represents less than half of what the Liberal Government is already investing in capital works alone,” Mr Wade said.
“You only need to look back at recent history to see which party was delivering more for regions.
“We are outspending Labor on regional health five to one and the Liberal Government has already committed more than $200m to regional health infrastructure.”
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