As a parent whose child was born at Leongatha Hospital this week, I want to express firstly my gratitude and secondly concern for the future.
Our experience at Leongatha Hospital was nothing short of exceptional. From the gentle midwives to the attentive doctors, every person we encountered provided care that was personal, calm, and community-centred. My wife and I weren’t just names on a chart—we were known, reassured, and treated like family. That kind of compassionate, local care simply doesn’t happen in large, centralised health systems.
I believe that the proposed merger into the larger network risks dismantling what I think makes Leongatha Hospital so vital to South Gippsland. I think that when decisions are driven from far-off boardrooms, the unique needs of rural families get diluted. I worry that in this new structure, staff will be stretched, and patients will become just another number—seen and treated with less continuity, care, and dignity.
I appreciate that the government says boards and hospital names will remain, but I believe the essence of local care cannot be preserved in name only. I feel that what we stand to lose are not just services—but relationships, responsiveness, and the sense of safety that only a local hospital can provide.
As new parents, our story is just one of many that show how important it is to preserve regional healthcare as a human experience—not a streamlined transaction. We urge the Victorian Government and health authorities to slow down, consult meaningfully with the community, and put people before systems.
I think that Leongatha Hospital is not broken. It’s a working model of what community-based care should look like.
Don’t fix it by breaking it.
"My Maternity experience. Don’t Let Leongatha Hospital Lose Its Heart"
About: Leongatha Memorial Hospital Leongatha Memorial Hospital Leongatha 3953
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