Victoria Health Ministers Issue Warning Over Dental Treatment Waiting Times
Health ministers in Victoria have issued a warning to the public, suggesting that waiting times for hospital and dental treatment will increase in the state in the years to come.
Jill Hennessey, a health minister for Victoria state government, warned that waiting times are expected to increase. This is particularly true for dental care due to cuts in state and commonwealth funding for hospitals, which are set to be steeper than anticipated. According to ministers, state funding will fall by $17.7 billion over the next decade, which represents a larger deficit than expected. The figures were revealed in the budget on Tuesday 12th May.
Ms Hennessey said that the news was incredibly disappointing and people will be understandably be worried about the future of health and dental care across the state as a result of Tuesday’s budget. She warned that making cuts on such a scale will only serve to hinder the running of hospitals in the future, causing patients to have to wait longer for elective surgery and urgent treatment.
Changes to the funding system were announced by the government earlier this week and the new system will see funding increase in line with inflation and population growth, rather than activity within the health system, which was the formula under the previous government.
In response to the announcement, Ms Hennessey said that she would try to fight the changes.
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