The Victorian Labor Government has announced that they will be buying back Mildura Base Hospital, after 21 years of being in private hands.

The regional hospital was sold to private hands in 1998 by the Kennett Liberal Government, and has been owned and operated by Ramsay Health since. The hospital had been dogged by issues surrounding its ability to consistently provide safe patient care.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews indicated that the move was so that they could deliver “world class public health care” to all Victorians, including those in the state’s North West.

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch) Secretary, Lisa Fitzpatrick, praised the move.

In a statement, she said that the move “will re-invigorate the hospital and its ability to recruit and retain nurses and midwives.”

“The hospital’s nurses and midwives are excited about the news, and we already know one midwife, who resigned a while back, who has been inspired to update her CV in preparation to a return to the facility’s birthing units,” she said.

Independent local MP Ali Cupper praised the move and thanked local community campaigners, saying that “we can now move forward know that our hospital will be managed for our community, with the goal of providing the best care.”

Privatised hospitals continue to operate across Australia, including the recently-opened Northern Beaches Hospital, which has been mired with issues since day one.