Push for urgent action to reopen Benalla maternity and fix patient transport delays

The Nationals’ Member for Euroa and Shadow Assistant Minister for Health, Annabelle Cleeland, has called on the Rural Doctors Association of Victoria (RDAV) to advocate for the reopening of Benalla maternity services.

The call follows a meeting in Parliament with RDAV President Dr Louise Manning to discuss critical challenges facing regional maternity care. The discussion centred on the re-establishment of Benalla’s maternity service, concerns over reduced operating hours at Kilmore maternity, and ongoing patient transport delays that are preventing people from accessing essential care.

Ms Cleeland urged the RDAV to help mediate a resolution and assist in securing the employment of a GP obstetrician in Benalla, warning that the town is now one of the largest populations in regional Victoria without a maternity service.

“Without local maternity care, women lose choice in labour and face increased risks by being forced to travel long distances to give birth,” Ms Cleeland said.

The meeting also addressed delays with the Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS) and non-urgent patient transport, which have left patients stranded and unable to attend vital treatments such as chemotherapy and dialysis.

These concerns come as the Victorian Auditor-General’s latest report exposes the Allan Labor Government’s ongoing failures in health, showing its COVID Catch-up Plan for planned surgery has fallen well short of promises:

• Surgery targets missed: 240,000 planned surgeries promised in 2023–24; only 209,925 delivered.
• Private hospital partnership under-delivered: 31,209 extra surgeries completed instead of 51,200.
• Timely care targets unmet: Less than 95% of patients treated within clinically recommended timeframes.
• New surgical centres underperforming: Frankston delivered 6,053 of 9,000 targeted surgeries; Blackburn just 1,519 of 5,760.
• Lack of transparency: The true number of patients waiting is likely far higher than the reported 58,627.

Recent Victorian Agency for Health Information data confirms the depth of the crisis:

• Category 2 patients wait an average of 196 days — more than double the recommended 90 days.
• Category 1 patients wait an average of 342 days — nearly three times the recommended 12 months.
• Wait times for dentists and specialists continue to increase.
• Ambulance response times remain below target.

“Labor’s financial mismanagement is hurting frontline services and putting lives at risk,” Ms Cleeland said.

“We need long-term investment in healthcare infrastructure and frontline services so every Victorian. whether they live in Melbourne or Benalla, can access the care they need, when they need it.”

Ms Cleeland said she will continue to push for regional health improvements, including restoring Benalla maternity services, securing fairer patient transport access, delivering overdue PET scanners for Wangaratta, and strengthening support for regional doctors.