| The Maroondah Hospital received a $35 million shot in the arm as a result of the State Budget, Premier Steve Bracks said today.
Visiting the hospital with Health Minister Bronwyn Pike, Mr Bracks said the State Government’s commitment would see a new and expanded adult mental health ward, a revamp of the medical imaging section and hospital services to cater for increased demand from the bigger emergency department opened last year.
The Government will also provide Maroondah Hospital with a state-of-the-art video-fluoroscopy system costing $573,000.
“This massive investment will significantly boost health services in the area, which will, in turn, make it an even better place to raise a family,” Mr Bracks said.
Mr Bracks said the new and expanded mental health ward would cost $24.6 million and the Stage 2 redevelopment, including the imaging section, a further $10 million.
“The commitments made by the State Government in the Budget are the most significant enhancements to happen at the Maroondah Hospital since it opened in 1976,” Mr Bracks said.
“They come on top of the $12 million we invested in Stage 1, which expanded the emergency department and opened an extra ward.
“The mental health redevelopment will rebuild the wards and add 20 beds to the 30 which currently service people with mental health problems in the outer eastern suburbs.
“It will enable more people in an acute phase of their illness to receive timely hospital treatment in a setting closer to their home.
“The extra beds will help improve the flow of mental health patients into stabilisation and treatment of their condition after they present at the emergency department.
“In our Government’s Social Policy statement, A Fairer Victoria, we committed to provide assistance to those people most marginalised and disadvantaged – including the strengthening of services for people with a mental illness.
“The State Budget committed an extra $180 million over four years to further strengthen mental health services in Victoria.”
Mr Bracks said the Stage 2 redevelopment would expand the medical imaging department to create more imaging rooms, expand and consolidate the ultrasound rooms into a special suite and provide an extra mobile x-ray unit.
It will also install imaging equipment in the new emergency department resuscitation rooms, co-locate mammography and stereotactic biopsy rooms to form a breast imaging suite and add a new patient holding and monitoring area.
The hospital’s three existing elevators will be upgraded, and a fourth lift will be added that will be capable of carrying patients on beds.
Ms Pike said the new digital fluoroscopy unit was funded through a $10 million boost for hospital equipment announced last month and would replace a unit installed more than 20 years ago.
The new unit will provide high-definition, digitally refined imaging of the major organs and systems in the body, enabling doctors and other health professionals to more accurately diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries.
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