More than three quarters of a billion dollars will be lost from the western suburbs health system as the federal government slashes $50 billion from Australian hospitals, according to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.
The Maribyrnong Labor MP said services and patients would suffer as Western Health faces cuts of more than $774 million over the next 10 years.
The figure is based on the gap between the government’s spending forecast and a projection of Labor’s promised funding levels. “These cuts are the equivalent of sacking one in three doctors, one in five nurses and shutting down one in 13 hospital beds around the country,” Mr Shorten said.
He said the cuts would blow out emergency department and elective surgery waiting times and reduce the number of available hospital beds.
“And it’s a cut that comes on top of the Abbott government’s $7 GP tax, increased charges for diagnostics and imaging, and more expensive medicine.”
A spokesman for Acting Health Minister Kevin Andrews said federal funding for public hospitals would increase by almost 40 per cent over the next four years.
“In the most recent budget, Commonwealth funding for Victorian public hospitals is projected to grow from $3.4 billion in 2013-14 to $4.7 billion in 2017-18,” he said.
“It’s about time Mr Shorten explained why he is attempting to frighten vulnerable Australians and was made to justify his deceitful scare-mongering in the community.”
Western Health declined to comment.
