Patients travelling from East Gippsland to Melbourne for urgent medical care are being forced to wait more than three months for reimbursement by the Allan Labor Government, a timeline labelled as ‘completely unacceptable’.
Local MP, Tim Bull, said the reimbursements under the Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS) were so slow, patients were often having to undertake further trips without having been compensated for prior trips.
“Jacinta Allan is leading the highest taxing government in the State and has plunged many families into a cost-of-living crisis. The least she can do is ensure reimbursements for health-related travel are delivered on time,” Mr Bull said.
VPTAS provides financial support to patients living in rural Victoria, who are forced to travel 100 kilometres or more to access specialist medical care.
The program covers travel costs and subsidises necessary overnight accommodation, which is often required due to the distances needed to travel.
Mr Bull said the benchmark for reimbursements was six to eight weeks, but some patients have been waiting over four months and they simply cannot afford to carry that debt.
“Vulnerable families should not be left out of pocket and have to worry about this added financial stress due to inept public service departments,” he said.
“If the issue is staffing, then the government must act immediately to ensure the department is properly resourced.
“Health Minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, must take immediate action to address the backlog and keep to the already lengthy reimbursement timelines.
“Patients shouldn’t be forced to choose between putting food on the table and accessing essential medical care.
“Labor MP’s constantly stand in Parliament, reading from their prepared notes, saying they look after country Victoria. There are so many examples where this is not the case. They consider Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong country Victoria, but seem to have a little care factor anywhere beyond that,” Mr Bull said.
