Thursday, 18 May 2023

Mildura electorate health services

Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (14:17): My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, Octavia from Mildura is two years old and suffering from food aversion and sleep apnoea, and as a result is underweight. She requires urgent surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoids. She is suffering because the public waitlist for this type of surgery is an alarming 819 days. Why is Octavia’s life being put at risk because of the ongoing lack of health services available in Mildura?

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Medical Research) (14:18): I thank the member for her question, and my best wishes go to Octavia and her family.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Eildon is warned.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I am very happy, should the member wish to write to me, to follow-up the best care options that are available for Octavia. But let me say this: at the last reporting of our hospital performance data, what we saw were some really significant improvements. We are seeing the waitlists trending down. We are seeing category 1 surgeries continue to be delivered within the clinically recommended time.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for South-West Coast is warned.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: We are seeing that for category 2 and category 3 once again the wait times are reducing.

This is a challenge, I might say, that is being experienced not just by our health system here in Victoria but by health systems right around the nation and indeed around the world. But only our government has a $12 billion pandemic repair plan in place. Only our government is delivering a surgery reform and recovery program that is showing really significant outcomes. It is a pleasure to work with our highly skilled clinicians, with all of our healthcare workers, who are working overtime not just in surgery but indeed in –

The SPEAKER: Member for Mildura, you need to wait for the call.

Jade Benham: Speaker, my point of order is regarding relevance. This question is directly, specifically aimed at surgery in Mildura.

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister was being relevant to the question.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: Thank you. As I have already indicated, our government is working to reduce waitlists right across Victoria, because this is a government that governs for the whole of the state. I might say that one of the challenges that the people of Mildura have faced is the fact that the previous coalition government privatised –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister knows not to debate the question. This is an important question relating to a two-year-old child, and I would ask the minister to come back to that important question.

The SPEAKER: Minister, it is not an opportunity to attack the opposition. I ask you to come back to the answer.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: Thank you very much, Speaker. As I have already indicated, if the member for Mildura wishes to share more information with me, I will follow up on the best treatment options that are available for Octavia.

Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (14:21): So Octavia and patients just like her can receive the treatment that she so desperately needs urgently, will Mildura Base Public Hospital get funding in next week’s budget for the return of surgical and specialist –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Tarneit can leave the chamber for 1 hour. I would like to hear the supplementary question.

Member for Tarneit withdrew from chamber.

Jade BENHAM: Thank you, Speaker. So Octavia and patients like her can receive the treatment that she desperately needs, will the Mildura Base Public Hospital now get the funding in next week’s budget for the return of surgical and specialist services?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members will be removed from the chamber without warning.

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Medical Research) (14:22): As the member knows, I am not going to pre-empt any of the decisions of the budget, and I will be listening along with everyone else to the budget next Tuesday. But let me tell you this: in this year we are providing Mildura Base Public Hospital with a 6.6 per cent increase in funding. We also delivered more than $37.6 million in capital grants to fund the infrastructure upgrades that ensured a refurbished ICU, a new paediatric ward and revolutionary theatre equipment.