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Peter Mac - Labor scraps 42 beds
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Labor scraps 42 beds at Comprehensive Cancer Centre

Tom Pretty 1842 Views

Victorian Labor’s ideological obsessions are putting vital cancer services and research at risk.

The Andrews government has vetoed a project that would have included an additional 42 beds provided by the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre as part of Victoria’s new Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

Scrapping this project tears up years of hard work by doctors, research institutions, board members and donors to further build Melbourne as a world-class centre for cancer treatment and research.

This is yet another project added to the long list that Labor has already scrapped or delayed since coming to office.

As well, even more people who have tried to work with this Victorian Labor government have now concluded that it doesn’t know what it is doing.

See below for the facts and background in today’s media release from Shadow Minister for Health, Mary Wooldridge.

For the account in today’s Herald-Sun, see http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/private-beds-deal-ditched-from-new-hospital-plan/story-fni0fit3-1227289786087 and in The Age see http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/state-government-scraps-peter-mac-private-hospital-20150402-1mdwgl.html

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Friday 3 April 2015

Daniel Andrews rips $20 million out of Peter Mac

The facts:

  • Peter Mac Private adds 42 additional beds and 4 additional theatres to the VCCC at no additional cost to the taxpayer
  • Is in addition to the VCCC’s 160 public beds, 42 critical care beds, 110 same day places, 8 operating theatres and 2 day procedure rooms
  • After a year-long tender process a Heads of Agreement has been signed with a Private operator and a lease has already been taken out by the State for the private floor owned by Plenary (PPP partner)
  • Would enable Peter Mac and VCCC to:
    o Treat more patients and enable patient choice re public and private care
    o Help attract the best and brightest clinicians and researchers
    o Increase the number and range of clinical trials

State Government refusing a private facility at Peter Mac:

  • Downgrades the potential of Peter Mac to be world class
  • Will lose $20 million in philanthropic funding which was contingent on a co-located Private Hospital
  • Will require a reduction in public beds, theatres and ancillary services to meet the funding shortfall

The Women’s Hospital and Frances Perry, built and opened by the previous Labor Government, operates on the same basis as is proposed for Peter Mac Private

 This is yet another contract being trodden all over by Daniel Andrews

Quotes attributable to Shadow Minister for Health Mary Wooldridge:

“By ripping $20 million out of Peter Mac Daniel Andrews is cruelly affecting the treatment and survival of thousands of Victorian with cancer.

“In making the decision to reject Peter Mac Private, Daniel Andrews is playing politics instead of focussing on vital patient care.

“Daniel Andrews is also single-handedly destroying Peter Mac’s capacity to be one of the world’s top Comprehensive Cancer Centres.

“Daniel Andrews must guarantee that every one of the 160 public beds and 10 operating theatres at the VCCC will be operational so Victorians with cancer do not have to pay for his pig headed refusal to back the Peter Mac Board and their vision for a world class cancer centre.”