By Sumeyya Ilanbey
Germaine fears her story is all too familiar to Melton residents.
The single mum says she has been forced to wait up to three hours at a bulk-billed clinic before being seen, and has often delayed a visit to the GP until her health deteriorates significantly.
The Melton woman, who asked that her last name not be used, says she feels Melton’s health services are lagging.
She has lived in the area for the past two decades and in that time has witnessed the population boom and the infrastructure lag.
“Melton is getting forgotten,” Germaine said.
She says there are a lack of clinics which bulk-bill, of those that do there is a significant wait to see a doctor.
Being asked to pay upfront at other clinics can be a massive hit on the family budget. The closest hospital is at Sunshine, a 28-minute drive.
“I know when I was pregnant with my children our only option was to go to Sunshine or into the city,” Germaine said.
“When you’re in labour, you want something that’s close, and there’s only so much that Sunshine can do.”
Just 71 per cent of emergency patients (those requiring treatment within 10 minutes) were treated at Sunshine Hospital on time in 2016-17, according to the federal government’s MyHospitals website.
The average for medium metropolitan hospitals with an emergency department was 79 per cent.
The gap widens for less urgent care. For Sunshine patients requiring treatment within 30 minutes of arrival, 51 per cent were seen on time, compared to the average for similar hospitals of 65 per cent.
Just 51 per cent of those requiring semi-urgent treatment at Sunshine (within 60 minutes) were seen on time, compared to the peer group average of 73 per cent.
Non-urgent wait times (treatment within 120 minutes) sat at 72 per cent, well below the peer group average of 90 per cent.
Germaine has called on the state government and state candidates to “invest in the west” and build a public hospital in Melton.
Her pleas come on the eve of a Melton delegation heading to Parliament armed with more than 8000 signatures supporting a public hospital in the region. To keep up with the campaign, visit buildmeltonhospital.com.au
