Premier

Giving patients the best possible care

02 May 2017

The Andrews Labor Government will give Victorian patients the treatment they need sooner, with a massive boost to our front line hospital services, and yet another boost to elective surgery to drive down waiting lists.

The Victorian Budget 2017/18 includes $1.67 billion to support hospitals to meet demand, respond to family violence and provide the high quality care Victorian patients deserve, now and into the future.

More than 200 000 patients will get the surgery they need sooner this year, with $174.3 million to provide extra operations and cut down elective surgery waiting lists even further. The additional funding is the equivalent of nearly 12 000 hip replacements or more than 51 000 eye surgeries.

The boost will support our hospitals to admit 1.9 million patients, and treat 1.8 million patients in emergency this year, so that more Victorians will get the care they need, more quickly.

Health workers will be trained in how to identify the signs of family violence and support people who may be experiencing harm to get the help they need, with $38.4 million for hospitals to respond to family violence.

These investments build on the Labor Government’s work to fix our health system after years of neglect under the former Liberal Government, which saw waiting lists blow out and doctors and nurses stretched to the limit.

The Government’s ambitious target of saving 100 000 lives from cancer in the next ten years is receiving a further boost, with a $12.8 million package to screen 45 000 more Victorians from breast, bowel and oral cancers.

Victoria’s world-leading medical researchers, scientists and institutions will also get the support they need to stay at the forefront of medical research with a $34.2 million investment to drive the latest breakthroughs.

A further $8.3 million will build on the Government’s genomic sequencing project, so more Victorians with rare diseases can get the diagnoses and treatments they need sooner.

Other key initiatives funded in the Victorian Budget 2017/18 include:

  • $215.0 million to overhaul quality and safety in the health system and drive down avoidable harm
  • $11.5 million to improve care for people with multiple and chronic conditions
  • $10 million for Better Care Victoria for the next funding round of its state-wide innovation fund
  • $2.9 million to tackle violence against health care workers and crackdown on workplace bullying
  • $2.5 million to undertake vital state-wide health infrastructure planning
  • $2 million for the Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme to support more rural and regional Victorians who are required to travel for specialist care with subsidised travel and accommodation
  • $1.3 million to expand the hepatitis B vaccination program and vaccinate an additional 10 000 Victorians

Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Jill Hennessy

Our elective surgery boost will get patients off the waiting list and into the operating theatre sooner.”

“It will mean more Victorians get the care they need, more quickly. This will change and save lives.”

“We’re continuing to rebuild our health system after four years of Liberal cuts, at the same time as we support our hospitals, doctors and nurses to care for more patients than ever before.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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