Ron Egeberg has written an open letter to Premier Denis Napthine asking the state government to reconsider the proposed selling off of the centres.

The government has moved to privatise some metropolitan aged care centres but a spokesperson from Health Minister David Davis’s office said there was no plan to apply the policy to rural and regional Victoria.

Mr Egeberg’s 83-year-old mother Eileen is suffering the advance stages of the crippling illness, at a state-owned and run aged care centre in Bundoora in Melbourne’s north. Having experienced private and now public care, Mr Egeberg said the care of patients with dementia could not be left to market forces and the need to make a profit.

“We’re doing this not just for my mother but for all people. We’re all getting older,” Mr Egeberg said.

“Right now my mother is in a public care facility in Bundoora. It is a fantastic facility where they can care for her exceptionally well.

“But before that she was put in a quality privately owned facility, which required a $500,000 bond and still had inadequate care.”

In his letter to the Premier, Mr Egeberg said there was insufficient staff at the privately run facility and questioned whether the nurse-to-staff ratio was to the same standard as the government-run centre.

“I believe the apparent insufficient number of staff is a prime example of the wellbeing and care of patients in private facilities being compromised in order to meet the need to make a profit,” Mr Egebert said in the letter.

“From the time our mother was placed in the care of the team at Bundoora Extended Care the support and care provided by the nursing staff and specialist teams has been outstanding at this exceptional facility.

“The ratio of staff to patients is far superior to what we saw at the private facility.”

Western Victorian Region MP Jaala Pulford has called on Dr Napthine and Mr Davis to: “put the health and well-being of ageing Victorians first and foremost and reverse the plans to sell off public assets in order to prop up the state budget”. 

However, Mr Davis said there would be no decline in services.

“Aged care is regulated and funded by the Commonwealth government. Identical accreditation and quality of care standards apply in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors,” he said.

gavin.mcgrath@fairfaxmedia.com.au