Members who follow VAHPA on Facebook may have seen the recent video of VAHPA Secretary, Craig McGregor, asking the question “What’s happened to Allied Health?”
This video has been prompted by a recent restructure at the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services that has seen Allied Health drop out of the organizational chart entirely.
For some time now we have been promoting Allied Health as the third pillar of healthcare, alongside doctors and nurses. Under the previous State Government a Chief Allied Health Advisor was appointed and given a direct reporting role to the Health Minister. This important role was a strong advocate for our professional workforce and championed the third pillar philosophy.
Disappointingly, the Andrews state government has chosen to exclude Allied Health from the DHHS organisational structure and worryingly seems to have diminished the position of Chief Allied Health Advisor.
“This is a slap in the face for all VAHPA members, especially those in the public sector. We are currently negotiating the 8000 Allied Health Professionals who work in Victoria’s public hospitals and have voiced our concerns around the deskilling of AHPs … it seems the message isn’t getting through,” said Assistant Secretary, Andrew Hewat.
“We are highly educated, highly skilled, and are dedicated to our patients. Its time the government gave us the support we give to the people of Victoria,” concluded Hewat.
If you are as outraged as we are about the Department’s lack of recognition for Allied Health then you should email the Minister for Health, Jill Hennessy, at minister.health@health.vic.gov.au
Catherine
Allied Health Professionals, including cardiac technologists and cardiac technologists are a vital and integral part of the health care system and should be included in the DHHS organisational structure.