Regional Victorians are being left hundreds of dollars out-of-pocket as the Allan Labor Government fails to process vital medical travel reimbursements in a timely manner.
The Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS), designed to support rural patients with the cost of travelling long distances for specialist treatment, is now plagued by delays – leaving some families waiting more than eight months for reimbursement.
The Nationals’ Member for Euroa and Shadow Assistant Minister for Health, Annabelle Cleeland, said the government’s failure to deliver this basic service was both unacceptable and dangerous.
“Obtaining a specialist appointment is hard enough as it is,” Ms Cleeland said.
“With the rising cost of living, having to pay upfront and then wait months to be reimbursed is putting enormous financial pressure on regional families already doing it tough.”
Many regional patients also report being unable to contact the VPTAS team, with emails and phone calls going unanswered while claims sit in limbo.
“This government is out of touch. Public service should mean exactly that – a service to the public,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Instead, under Labor we are seeing rural patients pushed aside, shut out, and forced to fend for themselves.
“This is not just a bureaucratic failure – it’s a moral one.”
In addition to the growing backlog, serious concerns have also been raised over the strict eligibility criteria that exclude some of the state’s most vulnerable patients.
Patients in towns like Benalla who are forced to travel to hubs in Shepparton or Wangaratta up to three times a week for renal dialysis are unable to claim through VPTAS, due to the scheme’s 100-kilometre one-way travel requirement.
This is despite the absence of any dialysis services in Benalla and a lack of effective public transport options for patients to travel to other hospitals.
Ms Cleeland raised these concerns with the Minister for Health, warning that the current restrictions are worsening the burden for those already navigating significant medical difficulties.
“The government’s rigid criteria are leaving seriously ill patients behind. For people undergoing dialysis multiple times a week, these costs and logistical challenges are overwhelming,” Ms Cleeland said.
“No one should be punished for where they live when seeking lifesaving care.”