VIC: Residents rally over cuts to health

AAP General News (Australia)
08-14-1999
VIC: Residents rally over cuts to health

MELBOURNE, Aug 14 AAP - More than 100 northern suburbs residents staged a celebration
rally outside their community health centre today after saving the centre from imminent
closure.

Save Our Community Medical Service spokeswoman Helen Lee said 150 residents met outside the
Moreland Community Health Centre to demand governments "stop the cuts".

About two months ago residents discovered that the state government-appointed board of the
health centre had decided to close the service down.

Early last month a group of residents staged an eight day picket outside the health centre
informing patients that their local health service was about to close.

Ms Lee said the group collected 1700 signatures within ten days and asked concerned
community members to contact their local MPs.

The lobbying generated a public meeting at which 400 people "hopping mad" passed a
spontaneous motion to rescind the board's decision, Ms Lee said.

A short time later the board did rescind its decision but according to Ms Lee the decision
will be reviewed in February.

She said the board had put out statistics allegedly showing the service was under-utilised.

"We're sick of losing services and we're sick of glossy brochures and statistics," Ms Lee
told AAP.

"The bottom line is people have had enough ... they don't believe the statistics."

AAP hmg/was

KEYWORD: RALLY

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