Thousands of north-east Victorians have expressed anger about potential hospital mergers and funding cuts.
More than 200 people rallied in Alexandra, 130 kilometres north-east of Melbourne, on Saturday against the potential merger of the local hospital board with another health service.The merging of health service boards is one of several options being considered by an expert advisory group. "We're trying to understand what exactly are the intentions of the health minister and what are the outcomes for our community," he said.
Last month's rallies in Mansfield and Yea helped inspire locals to campaign about the issues in town, he said. Ms Thomas said while the government had not asked hospitals to reduce care or services, it did acknowledge that the health system needed to take a "good look" at how funding was used."It is time to get rid of waste and duplication," she said.