The Victorian Government has stopped short of guaranteeing there will be no job losses in the health system. But the state opposition say there are impending cuts, and the ABC has seen an email from Ambulance Victoria warning its staff that ‘tough decisions’ need to be made, given the ‘enormous pressure on health budgets.’
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00:00Ambulances lined up and waiting in Shepparton.
00:06The union reported some were ramped for eight hours yesterday.
00:10The opposition says it's part of a bigger problem.
00:13When patients go to a hospital they need to be seen.
00:16The department and health services are currently in discussions finalising budgets for the
00:22upcoming financial year.
00:24We now know through whistleblowers that the Allen Labor government is requiring health
00:29services to make savage cuts and they've only given them three weeks to do it.
00:34This will mean job losses, it will mean service cuts right across the board.
00:39No decisions have been taken in terms of final budgets but let me say this, there is an additional
00:45$1.8 billion going into the system in this financial year.
00:50The ABC has seen an email from Ambulance Victoria's CEO advising staff that the increasing
00:57demand and growing costs of healthcare delivery is putting enormous pressure on health budgets.
01:05It says while its budget has not been cut, its costs are too high and tough decisions
01:12will have to be made.
01:13The ambulance union has told me it's concerned that any back of house cuts could have a flow
01:18on effect for frontline workers.
01:21Any potential impacts are being hotly debated.
01:24The government is forcing these cuts on our small rural and regional hospitals, that will
01:29force amalgamations.
01:30No, no absolutely not.
01:34The minister wasn't so emphatic when asked if any jobs would be cut, instead pointing
01:40to frontline vacancies.
01:42Right now, right across the state we have more vacancies for healthcare workers than
01:47we have people to fill them.
01:49It comes as the state government looks to finalise a new pay deal with the state's nurses.
01:54They'll meet mid-week to vote on an offer of a 28.4% pay rise over four years.