Specialist appointments close to home for regional Victorians

Regional Victorians will be able to get the specialist care they need closer to home thanks to the Victorian Government.

Victorian Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos visited Bendigo Hospital to announce the Victorian Government had delivered on its commitment to fund 500,000 specialist appointments in regional Victoria, thanks to a $136.2 million investment in the Victorian Budget 2019-20.

Some 125,000 specialist appointments are funded across regional Victoria this financial year alone, meaning Bendigo patients will benefit from at least 15,000 appointments closer to home, without the need for inconvenient and costly trips to Melbourne.

Too often, regional Victorians are forced to hit the road to get the specialist treatment that they need. The Victorian Government is making sure they can get their care at home.

In Bendigo, patients needing specialist treatment in the areas of cardiology, oncology, geriatrics, paediatrics, podiatry, haematology, nephrology, general and respiratory medicine and audiology will benefit from more local appointments in 2019-20.

In total, the Victorian Government is paving the way for an additional 75,000 appointments for patients with heart conditions, 30,000 appointments for patients with arthritis, 50,000 appointments for Victorians with chronic pain and 40,000 appointments for cancer patients.

It’s all part of the Victorian Government’s plans to make sure that regional Victorians get the same world-class healthcare as Melbourne patients, no matter where they live.

The Government is also building the $60 million Bendigo Hospital Day Rehabilitation Centre to bring together the various rehabilitation services on offer in Bendigo under the one roof.

Source: Vic Government