VICTORIAN Health Minister Martin Foley won’t commit to touring the dilapidated Swan Hill hospital, despite the State Government pumping millions of dollars to redevelop the emergency department (ED).
Mr Foley visited Mildura Base Public Hospital earlier this month, but the Department of Health and Human Services responded with silence when The Guardian asked why he didn’t stop at Swan Hill District Health (SHDH) as it prepared to demolish and rebuild the ED.
Swan Hill Mayor Jade Benham has criticised Mr Foley, saying “Mildura’s facilities are in a far better state than Swan Hill’s”.
In March 2021, the State Government announced $18.7 million to complete stage 1 of the Swan Hill hospital redevelopment, with works to begin later this year and be completed by 2024. The Federal Government has kicked in $30 million, announced before the 2019 election.
Mr Foley told media in Mildura that the state had funds available to build a new Mildura hospital and that he expected to return to make an announcement about the future of Mallee health services “very soon”.
Mr Foley visited Mildura in the wake of a State Budget that did not include a hospital plan – which had been widely expected – and said after a tour that it was clear that current facilities were inadequate.
“We know that the next missing piece in the puzzle is the physical services that the community expects here at their hospital,” he said. “What holds this hospital back is clearly infrastructure.”
Cr Benham, who has been endorsed as The Nationals’ candidate hit back at Mr Foley, saying he was playing politics with people’s health.
“We are much further down the line for a new hospital than Mildura,” she said, noting there was no master plan for the health service.
“We do have one, we are about to start demolition so stage 1 can begin, so I would expect that, logically, the right thing to do would be to fund stages two, three and four of the Swan Hill hospital, rather than start making promises they may or may not be able to fulfil.
“Don’t you think the government would plan a new Mildura hospital first, before allocating money?
“Swan Hill has always been a public hospital, so why are there no funds available for Swan Hill? We know exactly why, because it’s a seat held by The Nationals, not an independent.
“If they had real commitment to regional health, they would have committed to Swan Hill by now.”
Cr Benham was unaware whether Nationals leader and local MP Peter Walsh would make an election commitment for future stages.
“I haven’t spoken to him about it, but I suspect that it will be forthcoming, and probably after the federal election,” she said.
Cr Benham slammed Mr Foley for failing to visit Swan Hill during his northern Mallee visit.
“I wish he would come to the Swan Hill hospital to see what really inadequate means,” she said.
“Health care shouldn’t depend on the postcode you live in, you shouldn’t have to travel hours to receive radiation therapy, oncologist, any specialist, you shouldn’t have to travel to Melbourne for shoulder and knee surgery.
“Mildura’s facilities are in a far better state than Swan Hill’s, so fill it with the resources required and get on with rebuilding Swan Hill’s.
Mr Foley said the government would wait for the mid-year completion of a master plan for the future of northern Mallee health services before deciding on whether a new hospital would be built.
“There’s substantial capacity within the state budget arrangements for the next steps.”
He said he looked forward to returning to Mildura “to continue the conversation with the community about what the next step (is) to take the Mildura hospital to a whole new level”.
Mr Foley was invited to visit Swan Hill by Mr Walsh in February 2021,
“As parliament has heard me say, a number of times, the Swan Hill hospital has passed its use-by date,” Mr Walsh said.
“We have great staff, we have great doctors and we have great nurses, but particularly for the maintenance crews and the cleaning crews, the building is actually beyond its best date.
“So that’s why I have asked the minister to come up there and actually do a tour with me.
“The minister quite often comes to Boort for the annual trotting cup, and this year that is on February 28, so I would encourage the minister to come to the trots and then we will fit in his tour at Swan Hill – it’s only an hour up the road.
A government spokesperson said designs for the multi-million-dollar project were being finalised and “we look forward to sharing a first look with the community in the coming months”.
In a statement, the spokesperson said the government has also allocated more than $6.8 million for health infrastructure upgrades to SHDH through the Regional Health Infrastructure Fund and Medical Equipment Replacement Program. Funding has provided a new CT scanner, X-ray machine, endoscopy equipment and new theatre lights, with fire safety upgrades also completed.
Two projects are in progress, including a $1.5 million upgrade of SHDH’s central sterile supply department and $551,000 for new IT infrastructure.
The Guardian’s unanswered questions to Martin Foley:
● The Health Minister, Martin Foley, toured Mildura Base Hospital in the past two weeks. Why didn’t he stop by Swan Hill District Health on the way to see firsthand how badly a new hospital is needed?
● The first stage of the SHDH redevelopment has been funded. Will the government make an election commitment before the November election to commit to stage 2?
● Will the government fund stage 2 before stage 1 is completed?
● Is the government playing politics with regional health?
● Is Mildura seat getting the attention (which it deserves) because it’s held by an independent?
● What does Swan Hill’s local member, Peter Walsh, need to do to win over the government for more funding, just like Ali Cupper has managed to accomplish?
● Will the Health Minister visit Swan Hill when the first sod is turned on the new ED?
