It has been revealed that the new $1 billion publicly owned Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) will have a floor dedicated to private patients under a secret plan by the Baillieu Government, Member for Tarneit Tim Pallas said today.

Mr Pallas said Federal Labor Government, which provided joint funding of the new hospital, had been left out of negotiations about the exclusive private floor of the hospital.

“It is completely unacceptable that the Baillieu Government is attempting to privatise cancer treatment,” Mr Pallas said.

“The Baillieu Government is trying to sneak the plan through without any public consultation.

“Under his plan, Ted Baillieu will dedicate a whole floor of cancer treatment space only to those who can afford it. 

“This means a whole floor of the Victoria’s key cancer hospital will be off-limits for the majority of patients.

“As a public hospital the VCCC should be available to everyone, including people from Wyndham and the western suburbs.”

Mr Pallas said the privatisation plans have come on top of the Baillieu Government’s multi-million dollar cuts to health which has forced many hospitals to run deficits and resulted in waiting list blow outs.  

“The Baillieu Government has cut $616 million from the health budget which is putting unprecedented pressure on the State’s public hospitals,” Mr Pallas said. 

“We have seen that under the Baillieu Government’s watch, the hospitals serving Melbourne’s West have had astonishing increases in waiting times for surgery and emergency treatment.  

“Mr Baillieu is running the system into the ground. Waiting lists have blown out to a record 46,000 people across the state, over half of Victoria’s health services have reported they are in deficit and now we find out the Premier has plans to privatise cancer treatment.

“Mr Baillieu must come clean and explain to the Victorian public what plans his government has for an exclusive privatised floor at the VCCC.”