Dialysis patients across regional Victoria are facing transport challenges after Ambulance Victoria cut back its transport services. For many, these services are a lifeline to their regular, life-saving treatments.
Now, patients who once depended on these services are being told to make alternative arrangements or to use the Multi-Purpose Taxi Program, which offers discounted taxi fares up to $60. However, this program requires patients to meet a number of newly introduced criteria.
“I have been contacted by patients and their families who are significantly impacted by this decision, and in some cases, they simply cannot meet the financial requirements to access the transport they depend on to receive their vital medical treatment,” The Nationals Member for Shepparton District Kim O’Keeffe said.
“One family member told me that her elderly mother, who is a pensioner, was given two options: pay for a taxi service, which amounts to over $240 per week, or rely on family members to drive her, which is not possible as they are all working full-time.”
Ms O’Keeffe has written to the Minister for Health, Mary-Anne Thomas, urging her to step in and ensure that Ambulance Vicotria has the necessary resources to provide sufficient transport alternatives for regional and rural patients.
“There needs to be a review of the criteria and additional support put in place for people living in regional areas, where public transport options are limited and the out-of-pocket costs are unrealistic.”
Ms O’Keeffe emphasised that regional Victorians already face significant challenges in accessing healthcare, and these latest cuts are another example of Labor’s financial mismanagement impacting on regional Victorians.
“In the last state budget, the government cut $200 million from public health funding and an additional $20 million from Ambulance Services,” she said.
“We continue to see that Labor can’t manage money, can’t manage health services, and regional Victorians are paying the price.”