The Greens are calling on the state government to chip in $5million to keep Williamstown Hospital’s emergency department open.
As reported by Star Weekly, Labor has started a petition to save the ED.
At the same time, the state government has launched action in the High Court to try to keep $73million in hospital funding Victoria must repay the Commonwealth.
The federal government says Victorian hospital activity was incorrectly reported.
It claims the state was overpaid, and has demanded it return the funding.
Western suburbs Greens MP Colleen Hartland said she would raise the matter in State Parliament this week.
“While I don’t believe we should be picking up the tab for the federal government regularly, with an operating surplus of $1.2billion in Victoria, the Andrews government can afford to step in temporarily with a few million dollars to keep the emergency department open,” she said.
“It would be a failure in its duty of care not to do so until the matter is resolved.
“Footscray hospital’s emergency department is already struggling to keep up with demand, and long waits are common,” Ms Hartland said.
“If you increase the attendance by nearly 16,000 people per year, it would be bedlam.”
In 2015, about 36,520 patients presented at Footscray ED.
Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley has said it is ultimately a matter between Victoria and the administrator.
