Health debate empowering

Aglaring aspect of the anxiety, controversy and public attention surrounding debate over the future of Wimmera and southern Mallee health services is the opportunity it all presents.

The intense public attention focused on health services in our region might have been the wakeup call we’ve needed to seriously examine how we can better work as a region in meeting public health-service expectations.

The equation seems pretty obvious after communities have had time to absorb issues surrounding a Wimmera Health Care Group board probe into ways of improving regional circumstances and health-service options.

While people overwhelmingly encourage public health-service organisations to develop partnerships – as par for the course – they can’t see any benefits in merging services with faraway Ballarat.

In fact, many, perhaps burnt from experiences involving centralisation of public services in the past, see it as a massive ‘red flag’.

But does this awkward fork in the road present quandary or clarity when it comes to health-service direction.

For some of us, it is a clear and defining test of what makes the Wimmera, a real and identifiable region with collective sensibilities separate from the rest of the state, tick.

The Wimmera and these days the southern Mallee act as a regional collective. This large part of western Victoria has never been part of Ballarat or the outer western fringes of Melbourne, regardless of what promotors of the Victorian ‘Grampians’ administration and development region might suggest.

Cities and towns in heavily urbanised parts of the country might operate individually, but the Wimmera sustains itself as a group – what happens in Kaniva, Edenhope, Nhill or Warracknabeal, Balmoral and Murtoa, matters to and influences what happens in Horsham, Stawell and even Ararat, St Arnaud and Donald.

We have a string of health services across our region and apart from providing general care and emergency services, they are all different, with access to different levels of and types of expertise.

Let’s not forget Ballarat in a formula moving forward – this fantastic provincial Melbourne-fringe city has been and is likely to continue, in the short term at least, to be a service safeguard we in the Wimmera need.

But let’s put it to the side for the moment and consider what a fully over-arching formalised, structured and strategic Wimmera Mallee Health Alliance might look like and how it might work.

In tapping into our own strengths and navigation skills we might as a region collectively be able to establish something quite new, resilient and special.

It is at least worth a good look.

Act now

SIR, – Residents of the Wimmera! Please give credence to the content of Bruce Johansen’s letter to the editor published in The Weekly Advertiser, 12-5-21.

After some 30 years of volunteering valuable time and energy to Wimmera Health Care Group he is well in a position to speak freely and truthfully from intimate knowledge and express the need for our Wimmera Base Hospital and health services to remain autonomous and be controlled locally – ie, no merger!

To ensure your voices and needs for access to local health-care provisions are listened to, come forward and make sure your signature appears on the petition circulated from Emma Kealy’s office and support the ‘no-merger movement’.

Act now and give democracy a fighting chance – that is – by the people for the people! Kola Kennedy Horsham

Burgeoning debt

SIR, – If I am correctly interpreting the 20192020 annual report financial figures for Wimmera Health Care Group, there is a total current liability of $38-million, which has increased by more than $14-million during the past five years.

It is not easy to consistently have a balanced budget every year in an institution such as our local health-care service. But it is a concern that little seems to have been done to rectify the situation.

Surely the board of management should have been on the front foot in making representations to the Minister for Health and the Premier for assistance during these past five years or more to gain an injection of capital to alleviate the deteriorating situation.

How many deputations to the minister and-or Premier to address this financial position have been arranged by the board? If none, why not? If there have, what was the result?

Surely the board should explain the reasons for this burgeoning debt. Does this poor financial situation have more to do with the negotiations between WHCG and Ballarat Health Services than the community has been told?

It is imperative we have a viable service.

Our council and Wimmera Development Association, with other municipal councils in the area, are continuously seeking to attract more people and businesses.

We know that among the essential services that need to be provided to attract these new arrivals are good schools and a good hospital.

It is vitally necessary to address the financial problems of WHCG immediately to prevent further deterioration.

The board cannot stay silent on this and owes the community a full briefing as to how they intend to turn the situation around without surrendering autonomy. Bill Ower Horsham

Intersection worry

hospital

SIR, – My urgent concern is the intersection on Hamilton Street in Horsham near St Brigid’s College.

Two give-way signs are useless. I always slow right down at that intersection, because it’s had a lot of crashes.

On Monday week ago it was lucky for me as a white ute sped through and nearly got me and another lady, also being cautious.

I was hoping some speed humps might slow these road idiots down.

I’m in my 80s and it shook me up. M. Tucker Horsham

‘The Australian way’

SIR, – Our do-nothing Prime Minister has confused ‘the Morrison way’ with ‘the Australian way’.

It’s our states and some industries that are doing things ‘the Australian way’ to combat climate change. J. Mcinerney Horsham