THE Victorian Healthcare Association visited Hepburn Health on Friday to discuss the hospital’s needs.
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It will help VHA advocate for the local service in the future.
Chief executive Tom Symondson said the visit highlighted the groups’s commitment to rural health.
“(There are) increasing healthcare costs associated with a growing and ageing population with high rates of obesity and chronic disease,” he said.
“What we would like to see is a commitment to a long-term health plan that is innovative and encompasses the capital and service needs of our hospitals and their communities.”
His comments follow the commissioning of the Travis Review.
Recommendations include a strategic statewide service and infrastructure plan over 20-years, with a sharper focus on the first five years.
Under this review Hepburn Health Service has been successful in gaining funding for palliative care services at its Creswick campus.
One bed will cater for an additional 12 palliative care patients each year.
It is unclear exactly how much funding will be received.
Hepburn Health chief executive Patricia Collocott said the visit was a great opportunity to discuss rural health with the peak body representing Victorian Health Services.
