Ms Kealy has been a public opponent to any partnership proposal between the two health services.

The petition calls on the Victorian Parliament to "ensure that the amalgamation does not proceed," and cites "emphatic community opposition" toward the proposal.

Ms Kealy said she launched the petition after the Minister for Health Martin Foley declined to respond to the issue when she raised it in Parliament.

"While the minister is saying it is not a political decision, we know that amalgamations are happening across the state and that it is Labor government policy to amalgamate country health services," she said.

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"It is critical that the minister comes to Horsham to listen to local people and understand the overwhelming consensus that people want to keep their health services local and do not want their local hospital to merge with Ballarat."

Ms Kealy's office plans to distribute copies of the petition to retail outlets across Horsham in the coming weeks.

Wimmera Health Care Group board chair Marie Aitken said her board had been consulting with the community to have their say on partnership proposals for several months.

"The community consultation process has been comprehensive with more than 1000 people participating," she said.

"Consultation has included community and staff surveys, staff workshops, in-person and online consultation sessions, meetings with community groups, pop-up stands at community events, online feedback forms, submissions and print, news and social media," she said.

"Feedback is highly supportive of stronger partnerships with Ballarat to improve access to local services and strengthen the clinical workforce, while a small number of people have expressed their concerns over the proposals."

Mrs Aitken said the board was very clear about the purpose of these community and team discussions and would be making an informed decision based on a very detailed report.

"There is an open invitation to Emma Kealy to meet with me or the board to discuss her concerns and understand the business of Wimmera Health Care Group," she said.

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