10/11/2025
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BjrvUKh6B/?mibextid=wwXIfr
๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฃ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ โ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐จ๐ก๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐กโ ๐ช๐๐ง๐ ๐ฎ ๐ช๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ๐จ๐๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก
Last year it was mergers, and when locals stated emphatically in Shire Hall meetings that they did not want forced mergers, the Allan Government quietly went ahead to establish Local Health Service Networks(LHNS).
So as of July 2025, Eastern Health and Alexandra District Hospital, along with St Vincentโs Hospital Melbourne and Yea & District Memorial Hospital, have been grouped into the new โEast Metro & Murrindindiโ network. This is a large network as Eastern Health comprises:
โข Angliss Hospital (Upper Ferntree Gully)
โข Box Hill Hospital (Box Hill)
โข Healesville Hospital and Yarra Valley Health (Healesville)
โข Maroondah Hospital (Ringwood East)
โข Peter James Centre (Burwood East)
โข Wantirna Health (Wantirna)
โข Yarra Ranges Health (Lilydale
It appears if the Allan Government found they could not implement their forced mergers via the front door, they are only too willing to attempt to do so by the back door.
Barely 15 months ago our local communities gathered approximately 4,000 signatures on a petition stating that we did not want amalgamation, wished to remain independent and retain our own local boards. It seems Alexandra District CEO and Board were not listening to the community and believe they have all changed their minds, as they are now calling for โvoluntary amalgamation,โ which I assume means that the community would now want ADH to become integrated or consolidated as one entity with Eastern Health.
Some questions that must be answered are:
1. Does the local hospital board lose its autonomy ?
2. What are the benefits of amalgamation when both Eastern Health and Alexandra District Hospital have substantial financial operating deficits?
3. Will Alexandra District Hospital receive more or less government funding if amalgamation occurs?
4. What will be the impacts on Yea and District Memorial Hospital?
๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
The format and length of the โconsultationโ process is disgraceful and an insult. This is not a genuine consultation, where actual transparent information should be disseminated and discussion take place over a reasonable period of time. A local Yea meeting in a very small hall for 75 minutes does not cut it.
Nor does an online survey tick the box questionnaire satisfy my idea of meaningful consultation.
In the short time frame, it is impossible to inform the majority of the affected population in the Murrindindi Shire that this โvoluntary amalgamationโ is even being proposed, let alone discuss it.
Jan Beer
Yea
