Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy MP, has called on the State Government to urgently increase support for regional patients forced to travel long distances for essential medical care.
Speaking in Parliament, Ms Kealy highlighted the growing number of Lowan residents who must travel hundreds of kilometres to Melbourne, Ballarat or Geelong to access specialist treatment and services not available locally.
Ms Kealy said the Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS) – which many rural and regional people relied on to help with travel costs – had not kept pace with increasing fuel prices, leaving vulnerable residents struggling to afford travel for medical care.
The scheme currently reimburses travel at 21 cents per kilometre for a private vehicle, far below the Australian Taxation Office benchmark of 88 cents per kilometre for running costs, even before these became more expensive with the fuel crisis.
“I am hearing from constituents who are delaying or even skipping appointments because they simply cannot afford the trip,” Ms Kealy said.
“This is the reality for many regional Victorians – the fuel crisis is feeding into a cost-of-living crisis, which in turn has dangerous ripple effects for people who have to travel for healthcare.
“With limited public transport options, many patients have no alternative but to drive and face the substantial out of pocket costs.
“This situation is completely unsustainable and unfair, and yet another example of rural and regional communities being punished under Labor.”
Ms Kealy has called on the Minister for Health to outline when support payments under VPTAS will be increased to better reflect the true cost of travel.
“Access to healthcare should not depend on where you live or your ability to pay for fuel,” she said.
“Regional patients deserve fair support so they can attend appointments and receive the care they need, when they need it, and I urge the Allan Labor Government to immediately address this critical issue.”
