Wodonga councillors urge patients to have say on hospital services

Wodonga councillors have made the plea for the input into the strategic plan for 2023-2027.

Albury Wodonga Health has stated the plan will define how it "directs its efforts and resources over the next five years".

At their meeting on Monday night, councillors Danny Lowe and Olga Quilty encouraged those who have received treatment to give their views on what is needed.

"While our Albury Wodonga Health staff and that have influence and can be suggestive of services that are recommended, the patients themselves are the ones that have to travel to Sydney, to Wagga, to Melbourne, to wherever they need to go and they all have voices," Cr Lowe said.

"So I think they should use it and really let Albury Wodonga Health know what we require in our region."

Cr Quilty said patients could assist the council in its advocacy for improvements.

She noted while it was tough for those facing health challenges, "hopefully, with the support of their loved ones and their advocates, we could put our forces together and achieve a much-needed medical asset for our community".

Wodonga mayor Ron Mildren will make a submission to the plan on behalf of his community.

"We're looking to get feedback from people when they do have to go elsewhere, what they have to go elsewhere for, how that all fits into the equation," Cr Mildren said.

"It's not about trying to critique the staff, the staff are absolutely wonderful and seriously overworked."

Albury Wodonga Health has an online community survey running until 11.59pm on Sunday September 10 to take feedback and it can be found at www.awh.org.au/strategy.

Meanwhile, Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas has sent a letter to Wodonga Council, which was received on July 20, but Cr Mildren said on Tuesday August 22 it had no commitment for her to meet with the council.

"It's very disappointing, we think that we should be having open dialogue," Cr Mildren said.

"We've now got a situation where we've got 11 councils, we've got the Border Medical Association and we've got a number of other groups around the Albury-Wodonga region that are supporting the position that we've been putting.

"So there's a fairly influential large number of organisations and people that are putting this point of view (of calling for a new hospital)."

Mr Mildren said after a meeting, along with other councillors, with the Victorian Regional Development Minister Harriet Shing on Friday August 18 he had appealed to her to have the government communicate directly with Wodonga rather than via the media.

He said she replied "basically take what you've been given, you've been given $225 million, plus the equivalent from NSW, take what's on the table and don't complain".

To read more stories, download The Border Mail news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: