The region's health systems is "heaving under the pressure" with medical professional saying it's broken, MP Roma Britnell says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
To shine a spotlight on the issue, a public forum will be held in Warrnambool on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 from 6pm to 7.30pm at Mozart Hall.
Federal opposition spokesperson for Health and Aged Care Senator Anne Ruston, Wannon MP Dan Tehan, opposition spokeswoman for health Georgie Crozier along with Ms Britnell will be there to hear what residents have to say.
Retired Warrnambool GP Dr John Philpot said he would be attending the forum to join the community in raising awareness of what was happening, and to stand up for what our healthcare system deserved.
"As a retired doctor, I'm very concerned about the pressure that my colleagues and all healthcare staff are currently under," he said.
Former nurse Judy Stewart said she would be attending the forum to show her support for the regional healthcare system.
"As a former nurse, it is saddening to see our healthcare services facing an uncertain future," she said.
"It's becoming more clear when we see issues such as patients being discharged too early, and essential services disappearing - and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
"I'll be showing support for our regional healthcare system."
Mr Britnell said the decision to hold a forum came after lots of people had reached out, particularly those employed in the health system, about what was happening.
The South West Coast MP said medical professionals were concerned about the system "really heaving under the pressure of it buckling".
"The nursing staff can't speak out, the doctors are saying it's broken. It's really bad," she said.
"None of them will speak out loud. They can't."
Ms Britnell said people were struggling to get a doctor, the city was still waiting for the promised PET scanner to arrive and the city's ambulance service was under pressure.
She said there was also a huge backlog in gettin aged care assessments.
"It doesn't matter what angle you look at," she said.
"In my mind, I think the administrative teams are trying to work with very constrained capabilities budget wise and it's set to get worse with these mergers."
Ms Britnell said some smaller hospitals in the region could face cuts of up to 40 per cent.
Katrina Lovell
Katrina Lovell is a senior journalist at The Standard who covers council news and human interest stories.
Katrina Lovell is a senior journalist at The Standard who covers council news and human interest stories.
