Emma Kealy issues statement regarding Wimmera health service merger

Among the public opposition to the proposal is Lowan member Emma Kealy, who said the proposed amalgamation would result in a loss of autonomy for the Wimmera.

"Such a merger would have disastrous consequences for our community, including a loss of autonomy and local voices, and a loss of local control over services that residents have fought for and raised money for over a decade," she said.

"It is difficult to understand why amalgamation is pitched as the only solution to improving health services, because it is simply not."

On Friday, July 9, the boards of Wimmera Health Care Group, Stawell Regional Health, Edenhope and District Memorial Hospital and Ballarat Health Services confirmed a move to bring the proposal before the Department of Health, pending approval.

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Ms Kealy, formerly the chief executive of Edenhope and District Memorial Hospital, conducted a community survey in the months leading up to the decision.

She said the survey received "almost 4000" signatures from Wimmera community members opposed to the amalgamation.

"As our community members have made overwhelmingly clear over the past few months, they do not support amalgamation," Ms Kealy said.

"While they support our local hospitals working together and partnering in a collaborative way to support better health services for the community, they do not support a mega-merger of health services.

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"There are existing group purchasing arrangements in place, achieved without amalgamation.

"There are widespread shared service agreements and contracts in place for the provision of visiting or shared surgeons, specialists and other allied health professionals - again, achieved without amalgamation.

"There are existing partnerships and alliance agreements in place. At no stage has it been articulated why hospital amalgamation is necessary or a requirement to enable our hospitals to work together or partner to achieve better health outcomes for the community."

The proposed amalgamation has also faced opposition from Horsham Rural City Council, which stated opposition to the possible merger.

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Horsham resident Bill Ower took to the streets in January to protest the amalgamation proposal and said the news was "greatly disappointing".

"I heard some of the comments on the radio this morning, and it just seems to me that all they have done is developed a new level of administration which will be added to the organisation," Mr Ower said.

"I just don't see what advantage there is to it as far as the Wimmera Health Care Group is concerned. As I have said all along, once we lose the autonomy of the hospital we have really lost control of it."

Wimmera Health Care Group started public consultation for the proposal in October 2020, with Stawell Regional Health and Edenhope and District Memorial Hospital the following suit in 2021.

Absent from the merger talks was West Wimmera Health Service, responsible for Nhill Hospital.

West Wimmera Health Service chief executive Ritchie Dodds said the group had chosen not to comment until a decision was handed down from the health department.

"We have no specific comment to make in relation to the amalgamation agreement but we would add that we will continue to work in partnership with all health services in the region wherever it can make a meaningful difference to the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve," he said.

For more information on the proposal, visit http://www.whcg.org.au/all-categories/2-uncategorised/599-partnering-for-better-health.

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