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Health | November 15, 2017

Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme

Victorian Parliament - 15 November 2017 - Ms KEALY (Lowan) - Country people are being penalised for living long distances from health care due to extreme limitations on access to the Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS). A patient recently contacted my office as they could not access VPTAS support for cancer treatment in Warrnambool, even though they were too ill to commute back to their home in Hamilton between treatment, simply because they live 95 kilometres from Warrnambool, which is under the 100‑kilometre limit. I ask the minister to provide greater flexibility for country people to access health care to ensure that people do not avoid or delay treatment because they simply cannot afford the cost of travel and accommodation to access treatment.