GP running for Parliament exposes huge health spending gap across Victoria
Dr Lachie McKeeman, a GP obstetrician, is running for Benambra citing extreme disparities in health spending across Victorian regions.
Dr Lachie McKeeman has worked as a GP and obstetrician in the Albury-Wodonga region for over a decade. Dr McKeeman has seen the Albury-Wodonga hospital overflow into transit lounges and converted storage cupboards.
Dr McKeeman is running as an independent for the Benambra seat, saying he cannot fix the region's health challenges from his surgery. Dr McKeeman points to numbers that reveal the gap: the North East gets 3,800 dollars spent per person on health, while Shepparton gets 9,600 dollars and Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat each get 8,800 dollars.
McKeeman is calling for a new hospital on a new greenfield site, better patient travel support and services closer to home. He says any new feasibility study would delay the decision further.
- 3,800 dollars per person
- Health spending North East
- 9,600 dollars per person
- Health spending Shepparton
- More than 10 years
- Years in region
- Three times faster than rest of Victoria
- Regional growth rate
Why it mattersOnly Parliament can redirect funding and services to match the health needs of a region growing three times faster than the rest of Victoria.
AustraliaMcKeeman's campaign highlights a major equity gap in health funding across Australian regions and the pressure it is putting on rural hospitals and staff.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
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