Some of Victoria's most at-risk patients will continue receiving life-saving general practice care, thanks to a Federal Government rescue plan for Melbourne's cohealth clinics.
Announced earlier today by the Federal Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler, the Australian Government will provide funding to allow cohealth to continue operations until the end of July and allow sufficient time for an independent review to be undertaken for the long-term sustainability for these vital services.
Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) Victoria Chair Dr Anita Muñoz and Deputy Chair Dr Aadil Aziz have both spoken out about the importance of keeping cohealth open, including at an emergency meeting at Fitzroy Town Hall last month.
Dr Muñoz said the six-month funding extension will save lives but warned more must been done to ensure patients aren't left behind.
"We're not out of the woods yet, but this is a positive step forward and we thank the Federal Government for this investment," she said.
"The College is more than willing to support cohealth and the Federal Government as they work together to find a long-term solution that gives patients certainty about their care options. I thank the Federal Member for Maribyrnong, Jo Briskey, and the Federal Member for Melbourne, Sarah Whitty, for their hard work helping to make this happen.
"These clinics provide invaluable care to some of the city's most vulnerable patient groups. If patients can't access these services, their health and wellbeing will deteriorate, and many of them will instead present to hospital emergency departments. Our hospitals are already under tremendous pressure and that's one of the reasons general practice care is so important – we stop small health issues becoming much larger ones requiring urgent care.
"Unless we can find a way forward, many people will fall through the cracks of our health system – an avoidable tragedy that will compromise patient care."
RACGP Victoria addiction medicine spokesperson Dr Eric Hadinata said the RACGP will keep fighting for patient access to these invaluable services.
"These clinics are a lifeline for many patients with complex needs, including mental health concerns and serious alcohol and other drug issues. Given high cost-of-living pressures are still impacting many households - the timing couldn't be worse for these clinics to end general practice services.
"Victoria is at a crossroads, and my message to all patients who rely on these cohealth clinics is that we're fighting as hard as we can."
