Patients in Melbourne’s West will benefit following a special payment from the Gillard government.

The government has today paid $6.549 million directly to Western Health, which manages Sunshine, Western and Williamstown Hospitals.

Member for Maribyrnong, Bill Shorten, said the payment would be welcome news for local patients and staff who have been on the receiving end of declining standards of care as a result of cuts made by the Victorian government.

“This payment will be a major boost for Western Health, which saw theatre closures, elective surgery cancellations and closure of beds after the Victorian government cut funding,” Mr Shorten said.

“As a result of this funding injection, Western Health should be able to ramp up services and ensure patients in Melbourne’s western suburbs get the best possible health care.

“The money has now been delivered directly to the service provider, giving some welcome certainty to patients and staff.”

Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek said the money was part of a total of up to $107 million which would be paid directly to Victorian hospitals under the Gillard government’s rescue package, after the Victorian Government’s cuts.

“Local patients had no choice but to stand by and watch as Victorian Health Minister David Davis ripped away funding from their hospital,” Ms Plibersek said.

“In some cases, the Victorian government’s actions resulted in bed closures, emergency department shut downs and the postponement of elective surgery.

“By dealing directly with hospital administrators, the Gillard government is ensuring that this all-important hospital funding gets through to where it is needed.”

The Gillard government will provide more than $3.2 billion for public hospital services in Victoria this financial year.

“The Gillard government calls on the Victorian government to do the right thing by long-suffering patients and reverse its cuts of $616 million to hospitals.”

ENDS

Contact: Jayne Edwards 9326 1300 / 0410 455 737