Vic: Hospitals halt elective surgery: state opposition

AAP General News (Australia)
04-05-2007
Vic: Hospitals halt elective surgery: state opposition

By Kate Lahey

MELBOURNE, April 5 AAP - Nine Victorian hospitals have closed their elective surgery
units for at least two weeks, but the government insists the move is "normal" and not
financially driven.

Hospitals in Bairnsdale, Benalla, Echuca, Kilmore, Kyneton, Warrnambool and Wodonga
have closed their elective surgery units for between two and three weeks, the state opposition
says.

Metropolitan hospital Casey has closed for elective surgery and Monash is closing part
of its elective surgery unit, Liberal health spokeswoman Helen Shardey said.

Ms Shardey said the closures seemed financially driven and would prolong the state's
waiting list of about 36,000 people.

"I think it's much more than people taking a couple of days off over Easter," she said.

"I think what is occurring now is that these hospitals are finding it very difficult
to manage their funding, they're running out of funds and they're trying to save money
as we come to the end of the financial year."

But a spokesman for Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said the closures were caused by a
drop in demand for elective surgery over the Easter period.

"These closures are not related to funding," spokesman Tim Pigot said.

"They are normal hospital business at times of low demand and they occur all over Australia."

Mr Pigot said patients did not want to schedule their elective surgery over the holiday
break, and hospitals had received increased funds since 1999.

"Every hospital has received increased funding every year since the Bracks government
was elected," he said.

Bairnsdale regional health chief executive Gary Gray said his closure was planned around
patient scheduling and was not an attempt to save money.

"We are not in a financially difficult situation at this point," he said.

However, Rural Doctors Association of Victoria president Mike Moynihan said the government
was "squeezing the life" out of rural hospitals, and the closures were too long to reduce
waiting lists.

"Four days is really acceptable at Easter," Dr Moynihan told AAP.

"If they're really serious about reducing waiting lists, they wouldn't close for two
weeks over Easter then two weeks over Christmas.

"That's 10 per cent of operating time for the whole year."

Dr Moynihan said he was "quite sure" the closures were financially motivated.

The government does not dispute the claim nine hospitals are closing their elective
surgery units, but is not notified by hospitals of their decision to close.

AAP kl/dk/jm/mn

KEYWORD: HOSPITALS NIGHTLEAD

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