VIC: Privatising hospital will drive away volunteers: ALP

AAP General News (Australia)
08-08-1999
VIC: Privatising hospital will drive away volunteers: ALP

MELBOURNE, August 8 AAP - Privatising Melbourne's Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre
would drive away volunteers and auxiliaries who helped the hospital, the state opposition said
today.

Patients would suffer if about 700 volunteers withdrew their services because of the
government's move to let private interests rebuild and run the Austin, in Melbourne's
north-east, Opposition health spokesman John Thwaites said.

He told a meeting of about 200 people gathered to discuss the future of the hospital
volunteers and auxiliaries had raised almost $400,000 for new equipment in 1997-98 alone.

"If the volunteers aren't there, the patients' quality of care will go down considerably:
the volunteers help bring things to the patients, they help grieving relatives, they just make
the hospital experience that much better," Mr Thwaites said.

Long-standing volunteer Jeanie Abercrombie said she was "disgusted" at the thought of a
private company running the Austin.

"I'm not going to work for someone who's going to make a profit; I'm not working for them
for nothing," she said.

Ramsay Health Care, Health Care of Australia and the Sisters of Charity have been
shortlisted to build and run the redeveloped Austin, which is estimated to cost taxpayers
between $8 and $10 billion.

Australian Nurses Federation spokeswoman Hannah Sellers said it would also cost about 250
jobs.

AAP kmh/er/it

KEYWORD: AUSTIN

1999 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.