What’s missing from election promises in Victoria’s rural health debate? A long-term vision

Detailed summary

Despite promising more hospital beds, faster surgery and extra health workers, major parties are missing the chance to tackle deeper problems in rural health care.

Some of Victoria’s fastest-growing communities are in regional areas. About 1.6 million people already call regional Victoria home. With data centres and major renewable energy projects slated for development across the state, this number is set to grow further.

A growing population will place increasing demands on already strained rural health-care services. People in these communities have a breadth of health needs, and we need preventative, primary health care and hospital care that works for all of them.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the reality on the ground, something which has become a key issue ahead of Victoria’s state election.

In February, the Rural Doctor’s Association of Victoria called on Victoria’s major parties to commit to ending the state’s “inequitable health system”.

And late last month, Victorian doctors demanded all parties fix the state’s broken health system, launching their “Don’t get sick in Vic” campaign.

Yet, just over two weeks out from polling day, major parties are offering only short-term and simplistic solutions, without any real overarching strategy to improve health care for rural communities. Here’s why – and what practical, lasting solutions could look like.

The challenges facing rural Victoria reflect a nationwide problem. Despite paying the same taxes, where Australians live can make a significant difference to the quality of health care they receive.

According to an October report by the National Rural Health Alliance, Australians living outside major cities receive about A$1,200 less per person per year across health, disability and aged-care spending.

The health system in rural Victoria has yet to recover from the COVID pandemic. The loss of migratory health workers led to significant pressures on general practices and allied health businesses.

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Conversation AU. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.