Albury Wodonga Health misses out on Andrews Government funding injection in state budget

On the same day $461 million was committed for an upgrade of the Ballarat Base Hospital, the Andrews Labor Government couldn’t find a matching $30 million announced by the NSW Government last year for the cross-border health service it controls for the multi-generational project.

It means maternity services will remain in Wodonga in the medium to long-term and planning for an upgraded emergency department will go ahead with the funding from the NSW Government after being put on hold pending a further cash injection from Victoria.

AWH was bracing for a backlash to relocating existing maternity and emergency services from Wodonga to Albury, but was committed to spelling out the benefits of centralising the two services and silencing the nay-sayers.

AWH declined to comment on the funding snub.

But, member for Benambra Bill Tilley said AWH had been dudded..

“In recent years we have seen $1.2 billion spent in Bendigo on a hospital where they have had to close wards because they don’t have enough patients and Mr Andrews spent $100 million in Shepparton, but at the same time there has been no major capital works at Albury Wodonga Health,” he said.

“Our emergency department has more presentations than both Ballarat and Bendigo, twice as many as Shepparton.

“We are the largest health service outside Geelong and we need modern hospitals capable of dealing with a catchment of close to 200,000 people.”

Victorian health minister Jill Hennessy said her government had already provided sufficient funding to AWH.

“We will begin consultation in the coming months to meet local needs and priorities on both sides of the border,” she said.

“We've already funded important hospital facility upgrades and better medical equipment for our hardworking doctors and nurses, with projects currently underway.”

The government’s rural health Infrastructure fund has contributed $1.89 million to AWH with $1 million for planning future upgrades, $429,210 to upgrade facilities for patients and $470,435 for new medical equipment.