$464 Million To Rebuild Our Hospitals And Health Services

The 2007-08 State Budget delivers a $464 million capital works program to help rebuild or upgrade Victorian hospitals and community health services, and build two new surgical centres.

Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said the overall $1.9 billion health budget also included a major funding boost for new medical equipment as well as new ambulance stations.

“Our hospitals treat more than 1.3 million patients each year and Victorians should have access to world class health facilities no matter where they live or how much they earn,” Ms Pike said.

“Today’s State Budget delivers on the commitment we made to Victorians to meet the challenges of the future and invest in the health services that matter to their families.

“The Bracks Government has cut waiting lists, rebuilt or upgraded 58 hospitals and aged care facilities and employed 7200 extra nurses, but we said more needed to be done.

“We promised to continue investing in major hospital capital works and today we are delivering.”

Ms Pike said five major projects would expand Melbourne’s suburban hospitals, including:

• $45 million to expand the operating theatres and redevelop the intensive care unit at Frankston Hospital;
• $20 million for the first step in creating a new, multi-storey East Wing housing 128 new and upgraded beds at Sunshine Hospital;
• $12 million for a short stay unit, infrastructure upgrade and parking at Northern Hospital;
• $8 million for a new operating theatre and 28 medical beds in a refurbished ward at Maroondah Hospital; and
• $25 million to upgrade four wards and replace key infrastructure at the Western Hospital.

“We will also invest $4 million in expanding short stay units, day treatment centres and medi-hotels and $16 million to replace ageing brickwork at the Royal Melbourne Hospital,” she said.

Ms Pike said the 2007-08 State Budget would also create two new surgical centres to help reduce the time Victorians waited for elective and orthopaedic surgery.

An $8 million investment at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital will provide urology and general elective surgery for over 700 patients a year.

“We’ve also allocated $7 million to build a new orthopaedic surgery centre, including two new operating theatres, at St Vincent’s Hospital which will focus on people waiting longer than ideal for hip, knee and other joint replacements,” Ms Pike said.

“These centres join the newly opened Alfred Centre for elective surgery to make a significant impact on the time people are waiting for surgery.”

Ms Pike said regional hospitals would also benefit from a boost to capital works funding.

“The first stage of the Warrnambool Hospital’s $90 million redevelopment will now get underway with $16 million for Stage 1 for enabling works, a new ambulance station, and an extended care inpatient unit,” Ms Pike said.

“Ballarat Hospital will also benefit from $4.5 million to provide an extra operating theatre and develop a medi-hotel to accommodate rural patients requiring day-of-surgery admission.”

Community health centres are also winners in today’s State Budget, with funding including:

• $20 million to develop new facilities for Stawell Health Services including community health services, a GP clinic, physiotherapy and primary care services;
• $13 million to establish a new site for Peninsula Community Health Service’s Hastings centre providing services such as pathology, physiotherapy and other outpatient services;
• $2.5 million to redevelop and relocate the Murtoa Community Health Centre; and
• $1 million for planning Kensington’s Doutta Galla Community Health Centre redevelopment.

Ms Pike said the State Budget also laid the groundwork for the next round of hospital developments with four projects funded for design and development:

• $2 million to plan and design a new children’s wing at the Monash Medical Centre, Clayton;
• $2 million for the master planning for an expansion of facilities at Geelong Hospital, including two new operating theatres;
• $2 million for planning and development for proposed works at the Bendigo Hospital; and
• $1 million towards the planning and development of the Sunbury Day Hospital.

“Our hospitals now treat more than 300,000 extra people than they did in 1999 and today we begin planning for hospitals to treat future generations of Victorians,” she said.

Ms Pike said the Bracks Government was also investing in essential medical equipment to help doctors and surgeons diagnose and treat complex problems.

“The State Budget provides $8.5 million for the installation of 3-D magnetic resonance imaging equipment at Sunshine Hospital and Shepparton’s Goulburn Valley Health,” she said.

“These new MRIs are on top of $225 million over four years to replace medical equipment throughout Victoria’s hospitals and to help maintain and upgrade buildings.

“Another $3 million has been allocated for equipment necessary to open five new Intensive Care Unit beds.”

The 2007-08 State Budget also includes $10 million for the upgrade of rural and metropolitan ambulance stations and extra vehicles and $8.3 million for fixed wing ambulance services at Essendon airport.