IT is a concerning time for more than 50 staff at the Hume Medicare Local service with speculation the Abbott government is considering axing the health initiative in next month’s federal budget.
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The chief executive of Hume Medicare Local, David Dart, said the possible closure had been flagged with him but it would not be confirmed until the budget was handed down on May 13.
Mr Dart said any closure would affect the delivery of community health services, particularly in smaller communities.
He gave the example of a physiotherapy trial in Urana Shire that had been made possible only because people were available to work with local health services.
Mr Dart’s fears are realistic. It’s being speculated Medicare Local services would close next year and be replaced by larger, centralised agencies operating in metropolitan cities.
This would be to the detriment of not only smaller communities but also larger regional centres such as Albury-Wodonga where the previous divisions of general practice and now Medicare Local have been able to work within strong local health networks to better facilitate the delivery of community health services.
