Victorian government addresses Gippsland pediatric dental service pause

The Victorian state government has addressed concerns regarding the temporary suspension of specialist pediatric dental services at the Latrobe Valley Specialist Hub in Gippsland. While National Party MPs claimed the service was being cut by stealth, forcing families to travel to Melbourne for essential care, the government stated that services were paused only while recruiting a new specialist clinician.

Officials expect services to resume in the coming weeks. Local representatives have called for urgent clarification, noting that the disruption contradicts previous government promises to provide regional children with local access to specialist healthcare without long-distance travel.