The Nationals have renewed calls for urgent reform to Victoria’s non-emergency patient transport system and the Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS), warning the current setup is failing regional patients.
Member for Lowan and Deputy Leader of the Nationals, Emma Kealy, said changes to eligibility criteria and long-standing issues with the VPTAS program were preventing rural Victorians from accessing critical medical care.
“This government’s changes to non-emergency transport, combined with a VPTAS system in crisis, are leaving regional Victorians behind, especially those who rely on regular treatment like dialysis,” she said.
“Strict new rules around non-emergency patient transport might be manageable in Melbourne, but they are devastating for rural patients who don’t have alternative options.
“Patients who previously had access to subsidised travel are now being told they’re ineligible. For people in small towns with no public transport, this means they are missing appointments or unable to receive treatment altogether.”
Ms Kealy also raised ongoing concerns about VPTAS, which is supposed to reimburse rural patients for the cost of travelling long distances to access specialist care.
“I am regularly contacted by constituents about lengthy delays with processing VPTAS applications. Patients are waiting months for reimbursements while calls and emails go unanswered. The system is clearly overwhelmed,” she said.
“With the rising cost of living, having to pay up front and then wait months to be reimbursed is putting significant financial strain on families already doing it tough.”
Ms Kealy said strict eligibility criteria within VPTAS was also creating serious access barriers, with rural patients regularly denied support because they live just under the required travel threshold, even when no local treatment is available.
“This is a system that punishes people for where they live,” she said.
“It is not just a bureaucratic failure – it is a moral one.
“The Nationals are calling on the Minister for Health to urgently reform both the non-emergency transport criteria and the VPTAS reimbursement system.
“Regional patients deserve affordable, timely access to care, and this government must stop ignoring the needs of rural communities.
“Labor can’t manage our health system, and our communities are paying the price.”