By ALESHA CAPONE
Women fear looming budget cut
THE main women’s health service in the West fears having its funding cut again in the State Government’s May budget.
The CEO of Women’s Health West, Dr Robyn Gregory, said last year the government reduced Integrated Health Promotion (IHP) funding by five per cent – as part of $32 million cut from community health care overall.
Dr Gregory said the government initially planned to reduce IHP funding by 10 per cent during 2012-’13, but service providers instead negotiated a five per cent cut – hoping to avoid another five per cent decrease in this year’s budget.
“But we’re now facing the possibility of another five per cent cut,” she said.
“We will need to make some really tough decisions if that happens.
“It means a loss of staff, when losing staff can cut services provided on the ground.”
Women’s Health West (WHW) – which services the municipalities of Brimbank, Maribyrnong, Melton, Hobsons Bay and Wyndham – runs several programs supported by IHP funding.
Dr Gregory said these included the ‘Girls Talk – Guys Talk’ program, run in schools to educate students about respectful relationships.
The program has been run at Laverton College Prep-12, Hoppers Crossing Secondary College and Footscray City College.
IHP funding also enables Women’s Health West to operate its Financial Literacy program, the Family and Reproductive Rights Education Program and ‘The Western Region Prevention of Violence Against Women’ plan.
Dr Gregory said she had been “impressed” by the way Health Minister David Davis had met with her and other community health representatives, to discuss finding ways to avoid cutting IHP funds.
“But he would have to negotiate this with the rest of parliament and the Treasury,” she said.
Western metropolitan Greens MP Colleen Hartland has started a petition calling on the government to restore funding to community health care in the 2013-’14 budget, rather than decreasing it again.
“Community and women’s health services provide crucial preventative health services that keep people off hospital waiting lists and living productive lives in the community,” Ms Hartland said.
Star contacted the media representative for the Health Minister but did not hear back before deadline.
