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$6 million for MRI services at Maroondah Hospital
A re-elected Turnbull Government will deliver a major boost to health services in Melbourne’s East, allowing patients bulk billing access to access Eastern Health’s new MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) service at Maroondah Hospital.
Liberal Member for Deakin Michael Sukkar said in contrast to most other areas of the city, residents across the east did not currently have access to publicly-owned and operated MRI services, with local outpatients forced to wait six to eight weeks for an examination.
“A report last year by the Victorian Auditor General’s Office found the ratio of MRI machines in the eastern metropolitan region was six-times below that in the southern, northern and western metropolitan regions.”
Responding to calls to address this gap, Mr Sukkar today joined Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley in announcing a re-elected Turnbull Government will provide $6 million to allow an ongoing full Medicare licence at the Ringwood facility.
Praising Mr Sukkar for his commitment to address a stark health inequity for his constituents, Ms Ley said today’s commitment from the Turnbull Government will benefit around 100 patients every week, who will now be able to access the new MRI equipment as a bulk-billed Medicare patient.
“MRI is a standard diagnostic tool in current clinical practice. It is best practice for the diagnosis of many cancers, neurological disorders and orthopaedic soft tissue injuries and regarded as the ‘front line’ tool in the diagnosis of breast cancer and cardiac anomalies”, Ms Ley said.
Eastern Health is a public health service providing hospital and other health services to over 750,000 people in the east and outer eastern semi-rural communities of the Yarra Ranges and Greater Dandenong.
Mr Sukkar congratulated the Eastern Health on its commitment to improving health outcomes for so many Melbournians, and for its long standing advocacy to help public patients receive the best of care.
“Only a re-elected Turnbull Government can manage the Federal Budget responsibly to ensure we can deliver funding for the health services Australian families need, and this is another example of delivering on that promise”, Mr Sukkar said.