In short:
Thousands of north-east Victorians have expressed anger about potential hospital mergers and funding cuts.
Victoria's 76 health services all have their own boards, but the health minister has questioned "whether it is the right model".
What's next?
The minister says she is asking the state's health services to review their budgets to cut unnecessary spending.
Thousands of north-east Victorian locals have expressed their anger about potential hospital service mergers and health service changes as discussions about the future of the state's healthcare system intensify.
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.
Large crowds have also amassed at rallies in Yea and Mansfield over the past month.
The merging of health service boards is one of several options being considered by an expert advisory group.
Victoria's 76 health services all have their own boards with Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas previously telling the ABC the model had "served us well, but it's time to look at whether it is the right model for the future."
The rallies come after more than 20 state health services have been told their budgets will be slashed, according to a member of a regional Victorian hospital board.
Bendigo Health has been asked to develop a "break even" budget model for the current financial year after receiving a modelled budget from the Department of Health that was "significantly different" from the 2023/24 budget.
An email to the health service's staff, obtained by the ABC, says budget models from all hospitals will be sent to the Department of Health in the coming week.
'Anxiety' over potential loss of services
Murrindindi Shire Mayor Damien Gallagher said uncertainty around the developments had brought "anxiety" to communities.
"We're trying to understand what exactly are the intentions of the health minister and what are the outcomes for our community," he said.
Mr Gallagher said residents in his area feared losing a local voice through the merging of hospital boards that would lead to a loss of valuable local services.
The local government area was already behind the rest of the state when it came to average health and wellbeing outcomes, he said, with concerns it could become worse if the local hospital lost vital services.
Event campaigner Andrew Embling said Alexandra's ageing population benefited from visiting doctors and specialists who came to the hospital, saving locals the long and expensive trip to Melbourne.
He felt that if hospital boards were merged Alexandra's board "might not even get a mention".
"If we don't have a mention on that board — a super board, or whatever you want to call it — where does it help our hospital going forward?" he said.
Last month's rallies in Mansfield and Yea helped inspire locals to campaign about the issues in town, he said.
"We had so many people at Mansfield, and then a lot of our Alexandra people went down to the rally at Yea last Saturday," he said.
"They have come back and they now feel that 'it's our turn'."
In a statement, Alexandra District Health said it had participated in discussions with the expert advisory committee set up by the Department of Health "to consider the best design and governance of Victoria's public health service system".
"We understand the recent public discussions around this work, and the possibility of hospital mergers, has caused some uncertainty in the community, but it's important to note that no decisions have been made at this point," the statement said.
State government responds
Last week, the health minister told ABC Radio Melbourne she was asking the state's health services to review their budgets to cut unnecessary spending.
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.
She said there was a range of changes that could be made to cut costs.
"It is time to get rid of waste and duplication," she said.
"It's time to take a hard look at the number of executives, the number of communications and marketing people, and whether or not it's really necessary to travel overseas for professional development."
Loading...A Victorian government spokesperson said the state was investing a record $20 billion into hospitals this financial year alone, delivering all hospitals an extra $1.5 billion.
"We have sought the invaluable insights of all of Victoria's health services to contribute to the optimal design and governance of the public health service system to ensure all Victorians get the best care possible, no matter where they live," the spokesperson said.
"No government decision has been made.
"We will be working closely with health services to ensure their proposed 2024–25 budgets are able to deliver the frontline care Victorians need."
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