Hospital war

By Lia Bichel
THE future of Casey Hospital’s services and expansion is a hot topic between the Labor Party and the Coalition this week.
Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews this week released the Coalition Government’s plans for health which showed Ted Baillieu scrapped a plan to undertake a feasibility study to expand services at Casey Hospital.
Mr Andrews, who was joined by Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan, Narre Warren South MP Judith Graley and Cranbourne MP Jude Perera, said three versions of the Liberal-National health plan obtained by the Opposition showed the Coalition were planning to conduct a feasibility study to expand Casey Hospital.
Mr Andrews said the Coalition documents showed that the feasibility study for the Casey Hospital appeared in two versions of the health plan but was scrapped in a third.
“These documents reveal a dumped plan to halve elective surgery waiting lists and provide more surgery for patients,” he said.
“The documents also showed countless initiatives which were abandoned or announced with significantly less funding by the Coalition..”
Shadow Health Minister Gavin Jennings said it was clear the Coalition was already planning cuts to health services before they were even elected.
“What is more embarrassing for Mr Davis is his own documents state an election commitment to deliver a metropolitan health plan in 120 days of being elected,” Mr Jennings said.
“Labor built Casey Hospital, Victoria’s first hospital in 20 years and we allocated $30 million for a new theatre and 30 new beds. Baillieu didn’t.”
But Health Minister David Davis denied the allegations of scrapping a feasibility study.
“The Coalition announced publicly during the election that it would commit to a feasibility study for an expansion of Casey Hospital,” Mr Davis said.
“The Coalition will deliver on its election commitment to undertaker a feasibility study and will allocate $1 million for this process.”
Mr Davis said the Labor Party had built Casey Hospital under capacity and failed to plan for the growing and ageing of the population.
“Unlike Labor which failed to produce any statewide health plan in eleven years, the Coalition is doing the hard yards to plan for the future of the health system through a statewide health plan,” Mr Davis said.
“Labor left the health system in crisis after eleven years and it will take time to turn around Labor’s mismanagement.”