McCurdy calls for fair funding for existing regional hospitals and services

The Nationals' Member for Ovens Valley, Tim McCurdy, has criticised the Allan Labor Government for boasting about new hospital announcements while existing regional health services remain underfunded and under enormous pressure.

Mr McCurdy said while Labor celebrates projects in Melbourne’s growth corridors and selected regional centres, communities like Cobram are still waiting for basic lifesaving services.

“Labor loves flashy announcements and ribbon-cutting opportunities, but the reality for many regional Victorians is overcrowded hospitals, workforce shortages and services stretched to breaking point,” Mr McCurdy said.

“In Cobram, patients needing dialysis have been forced to travel long distances to Yarrawonga, Shepparton and beyond for years, simply because this Government has failed to deliver what our community desperately needs.”

Mr McCurdy said after six years of advocacy, the Government only recently committed funding to plan a dialysis unit in Cobram, with no guarantee of when construction or treatment services will actually begin.

“After six long years, all Cobram received was funding for planning. Patients and families cannot be treated with plans and press releases,” he said.

“We need governments focused on fixing and properly funding the hospitals and health services we already have, not just chasing headlines with new promises elsewhere.”

Mr McCurdy said regional communities deserved the same standard of healthcare as metropolitan Melbourne.

“People in Ovens Valley pay their taxes like everyone else, but too often they are left behind when it comes to healthcare investment,” he said.

“Labor should stop patting itself on the back and start delivering real support for hospitals already under strain, and real services for communities like Cobram that have waited far too long.”