Western Victoria Region
Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:46): (1406) My constituency question for the Minister for Health concerns the closure of the colorectal and pelvic reconstruction service at the Royal Children’s Hospital. Minister, you have said the hospital have assured you that services are still being delivered. This is simply not true. You are being misled. Please investigate this further. Surgery may continue, but other services are gone. Nurses and allied healthcare staff are no longer available. I know this from parents directly and can provide you with multiple examples. In the case of psychology you could just check the website. It says, ‘Please note appointments are currently not available.’ Minister, it is also extraordinary that you told the ABC all further questions should be directed to the hospital’s CEO. This is a statewide service and a statewide issue. The closure might save the RCH CEO money, but isolated treatment elsewhere will be poorer and will cost Victoria more overall. Minister, will you step in and intervene on behalf of my constituent Bridget in Warrnambool?
The PRESIDENT: Where was the hospital, Mrs McArthur?
Bev McARTHUR: The hospital is the Royal Children’s Hospital. The constituent who has the concerns is Bridget in Warrnambool.
The PRESIDENT: This is a problem. I will let this one go through, but in the future I am not going to cop it. This one is going through, and I am not undermining the issue, but I am just saying that if we have a situation where the constituent has a problem because they attend a certain institution outside the actual electorate, it will never end. This will be sent to the minister this time. I am just letting people know in the future that it will be never ending, and it is against the intent of constituency questions when we negotiated and introduced them. It will go through – all good – and once again, I am not undermining the concern of that person.