State Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed has urged the Victorian Government to set up a GP-led primary care centre in the Shepparton district to help combat a health “crisis” in the region.
The government this week announced the centres to help ease pressure on the state’s emergency departments by treating non-emergency fractures, burns and mild infections.
Shepparton was left off the list for a centre, with Ballarat the only regional site on the list of five centres.
The Federal Labor Party announced Shepparton as a site for a similar centre at the May federal election, but nothing else has been said about the proposed sites.
Ms Sheed said Shepparton was in dire need of such a facility to take pressure off Goulburn Valley Health, which in recent months has had to issue several requests online for people to stay away from the emergency department unless the issue was urgent or life-threatening.
“We are facing an extreme crisis in the Shepparton district when it comes to health staff shortages from general practitioners to vital hospital staff,” Ms Sheed said.
“GV Health is facing a shortage of 80 doctors, 130 nurses, and 40 allied health professionals and this is creating long wait times in the emergency room and other parts of the hospital.
“This not only leaves our residents vulnerable to more acute illness if they are not cared for in a timely manner, but it puts further pressure on the healthcare staff trying to work in such difficult conditions.”
Ms Sheed said the current demand on GV Health was untenable long-term.
“We need this pressure lifted immediately and a staffed GP-led priority primary care centre would be a huge help to our community and our valuable healthcare staff,” she said.
“It would free up the emergency rooms for the most serious cases and take care of the non-urgent cases at the same time at a separate facility.’’
Ms Sheed there had been “no improvement” on attracting more GPs to regional Victoria, with Shepparton feeling the brunt of an ageing doctor workforce and few younger medical professionals moving to the region.
“Mooroopna, a town of over 8000 people now has only one GP after the recent closure of a local clinic,” Ms Sheed said.
“I will continue to advocate for a GP-led priority primary care centre for the Shepparton district because we are just as important as residents living in Melbourne and Ballarat.”