$212.3 million boost for hospital building program

Major rebuilding programs at Ballarat and Bendigo hospitals and an expansion of mental health services at Dandenong Hospital form the centrepiece of a Brumby Labor Government’s 2009 State Budget investment in health capital that will secure jobs now and deliver a better health system for Victorians.

The Minister for Health, Daniel Andrews, said the Brumby Labor Government was investing $212.3 million in building better hospitals and health services – securing up to 230 jobs in construction and ensuring the more than 1.3 million Victorians treated in the state's public hospitals every year have access to first-class health services no matter where they live.

“The Brumby Labor Government is taking action on health to support Victorian families in tough global times and for the future, with this budget alone securing up to 35,000 Victorian jobs,” Mr Andrews said.

“Our Government is providing a social safety net for Victorian families through the Global Financial Crisis, to ensure they can access world-class public health care.”

Mr Andrews said the $55 million first-stage redevelopment at Bendigo Hospital would secure up to 73 jobs in construction and ensure it had the updated infrastructure to operate effectively until a major redevelopment was finalised.

“These works will also relocate the ambulance station and allow demolition of existing buildings, setting the scene for the redevelopment stages to follow,” he said.

“They will also expand the ambulance bay and resuscitation bay, upgrade the emergency department x-ray equipment and create a new eight-bed ward.”

The 2009 State Budget also provides a $30 million expansion at Barwon Health’s Geelong Hospital – securing up to 42 jobs in construction – and $35 million for replacement medical equipment in hospitals across the state.

Other hospitals which will benefit from the 2009 State Budget capital program include Alexandra and Warrnambool, while the next stage of the Sunbury Day Hospital also is being funded.

Breast cancer screening services will also receive a $10 million boost, with digital mammography equipment being installed in BreastScreen Victoria services.

“This breast screening expansion will replace old analogue equipment, resulting in quicker and more efficient screening and improve the early detection of cancer,” Mr Andrews said.

“Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in Victoria and the third most common new cancer, with 3057 new cases and 707 deaths annually.

“The Brumby Labor Government is supporting families by ensuring Victorian women have access to the latest breast cancer screening technology, to detect breast cancer earlier and increase the chances of fighting it.”

The Brumby Labor Government officially launched its $150 million Cancer Action Plan last December to fast-track life-saving cancer treatment.

“Cancer is a high priority for the Victorian Government and the plan aims to increase cancer survival rates for Victorians by a further 10 per cent by 2015,” he said.

“The comprehensive Victorian Cancer Action Plan aims to save 2000 lives otherwise lost to cancer. The plan includes funding for an additional 20,000 BreastScreen appointments annually for Victorian women.”

Highlights of the 2009 State Budget health capital works projects are:

• Bendigo Hospital: $55 million for the first stage of redevelopment – relocating the ambulance station and the demolition of existing buildings. Other infrastructure works will include upgrades of mechanical, electrical and fire safety services, an expansion of the ambulance bay and resuscitation bay, emergency department x-ray equipment, a new eight-bed ward and support for detailed planning of the major redevelopment. The proposed primary health centre will be expanded. This project will secure up to 73 jobs in construction;
• Ballarat Hospital: $20 million has been provided to redevelop facilities to implement a Coronary Catheterisation Laboratory and six day beds. The work will also provide an appropriate women’s health and children’s unit to meet increasing demand in the region; and refurbish a historic building to centralise administration and offices. This project will secure up to 36 jobs in construction;
• Dandenong Hospital: $66 million to redevelop and expand mental health services to improve quality of care and occupational health and safety and meet the growth in demand for mental health services in the south-eastern suburbs. This project will secure up to 65 jobs in construction;
• Geelong Hospital: $30 million for an extra 24-bed surgical ward, as well as eight extra mental health beds in the Swanston Centre. It will allow fit-out of the second new theatre and associated upgrades and reconfigure clinical service areas. These works will support Barwon Health to meet its strategic role in the provision of health services and undertake the next stage of planning for the redevelopment of the Geelong Hospital site. This project will secure up to 42 jobs in construction;
• Alexandra Hospital and ambulance station redevelopment: $19 million to redevelop the Alexandra District Hospital, providing a new integrated hospital and community health service. The redevelopment will include new acute beds, emergency stabilisation, operating suite, day stay facilities, community health and administration/support facilities. A new Alexandra Ambulance Station will be built and co-located on the site. This project will secure up to 35 jobs in construction;
• Short Stay Units, Day Treatment Centres and Medi-hotels: $3 million to provide enhanced facilities to support access and timely treatment for people presenting to emergency departments. This project will secure up to nine jobs in construction;
• Sunbury Day Hospital Stage 2: $6.4 million to provide residents in Sunbury and surrounding communities with specialist medical care, including diagnostics, pathology and rehabilitation. The funding will expand the Sunbury Day Hospital by providing a suite with operating and recovery services to provide minor same-day surgery services for patients with low complexity. This project will secure up to 12 jobs in construction;
• Warrnambool Hospital redevelopment Stage 1c: $26.2 million will deliver the final stage of the project, comprising the redevelopment of the allied health, rehabilitation, and mental health services with new community health facilities to form a single Integrated Care Centre. This project will secure up to 56 jobs in construction;
• BreastScreen Victoria’s Digital Technology Rollout: $10 million to expand digital mammography to BreastScreen Victoria services. The rollout will upgrade old analogue equipment;
• Critical Care Service expansion: $1 million to extend the capacity of critical care by providing enhanced intensive care, neonatal intensive care and special care nursery services;
• MonashLink Community Health Centre: $2.5 million for the next stage of the development of purpose-built facilities for MonashLink Community Health Service at the Oakleigh site, with a focus on adolescent health;
• Rosebud Community Health Centre: $3.1 million to replace accommodation for the Rosebud Community Health Centre, which was destroyed by fire last year;
• Aged Care Land Bank Stage 4. An extra $3 million will be used to access surplus government land for not-for-profit agencies for the development of high-care residential aged care services in the inner and middle suburbs; and
• Alfred Hospital Burns Unit: $1.1 million to refurbish facilities to provide single bedrooms for each patient containing their own bathroom.