| Thursday, 1 April 2004
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT BOOST FOR VICTORIAN KIDS
Victorian children being treated at the Royal Children’s Hospital will for the first time have access to specialist bone, heart and brain imaging services, thanks to a $700,000 equipment grant to the hospital, the Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said today.
Announcing $17 million in State-wide medical equipment grants during a visit to the Children’s Hospital, Ms Pike said the funding of a state-of-the-art double head gamma camera would lead to better, faster and more accurate treatment for Victorian kids.
“This new machine will dramatically upgrade the Children’s medical imaging facilities,” Ms Pike said.
“Because it is up to 40 per cent faster than previous models, what is often a distressing process for kids will be cut much shorter. It is also offers much better-quality images, which will improve clinical decision-making.”
The new piece of equipment will be delivered and operational by the end of the year.
During her visit Ms Pike also inspected a new $770,000 fluoroscope, due to start operating on Monday, which was purchased as a result of a Bracks Government grant last year.
Ms Pike said the $17 million in equipment funding would be spread across Victorian public hospitals to buy vital medical equipment such as patient monitoring and diagnostic devices.
Ms Pike said the grants included ‘big-ticket’ equipment items that would improve the quality of care and help meet the growth in patient demand.
Operating suite equipment, sterilisation systems, angiography and anaesthesia equipment are among other grants.
“Victorian hospitals need to stay abreast of developments in medical science and technology to ensure that they continue to provide the best possible care to patients,” Ms Pike said.
“This funding will enable hospitals to purchase the latest equipment to take advantage of advances in medical technology, and to allow them to be more efficient and cater for greater patient demand.”
Ms Pike said much of the equipment was to update or replace outdated or obsolete devices, including sterilisation and washing units.
The funds include $1.17 million for a vascular angiography lab and equipment at the Box Hill Hospital and $810,000 for a gamma camera at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute.
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“Rural public hospitals received $4.53 million of the funding for important upgrading and replacement programs,” Ms Pike said.
“Hospitals to benefit include $550,000 to Barwon Health at Geelong towards cardiac monitoring and other equipment, $225,000 for patient monitors at Latrobe Regional Health, $275,000 for patient monitors and an intensive care unit ventilator at Ballarat Health Services and $340,000 for a patient monitoring system at Northeast Health Wangaratta.”
Ms Pike said the Bracks Government was rebuilding the public hospital system with the State’s largest capital upgrade program in Victoria’s history and the development of a longer-term equipment funding strategy.
“State-of-the-art medical equipment is one of the cornerstones of our world-class hospital system,” Ms Pike said.
“This Government is committed to making sure that Victorians have access to the latest and best technology during treatment.”
A full list of recipients is attached.
VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT METRO HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT FUNDING
Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital. $443,615 for a digital fluoroscopy and general radiology suite.
Austin Hospital and Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital. $415,095 towards defibrillators and associated equipment.
Austin Hospital. $301,290 towards 17 pieces of anaesthetic monitoring equipment.
Alfred Hospital. $417,000 for an operating room microscope.
Alfred Hospital. $65,000 for a new equipment washer and for surgical instruments.
Alfred Hospital. $794,303 for a multi-purpose digital fluoroscopy room.
Alfred Hospital. $600,000 for a replacement gamma camera.
Box Hill, Maroondah, Angliss and Healesville Hospitals. $681,239 towards sterilising and instrument washing equipment, and instruments.
Box Hill Hospital. $1,170,000 for a vascular angiography laboratory.
Royal Melbourne Hospital. $387,900 for a stereotactic image guidance system, and $40,000 for new instrument dryers.
Royal Melbourne Hospital. $664,750 for a physiological monitoring system in the emergency department.
Royal Children’s Hospital. $700,000 for a dual head gamma camera.
Royal Women’s Hospital. $349,000 for a perioperative service suite and equipment, including six baby transport cots, two operating theatre tables, six hydraulic patient trolleys and an anaesthetic monitor.
Mercy Hospital for Women. $382,160 towards perinatal ultrasound and imaging equipment.
Werribee Mercy Hospital. $242,462 towards operating suite equipment.
Northern Hospital. $517,569 for a physiological monitoring system in the emergency department.
Northern Hospital. $84,705 for a replacement cardiac holter monitoring and exercise stress test system.
Frankston Hospital. $352,046 for 14 emergency department patient trolleys and 57 electric beds.
Frankston and Rosebud Hospitals. $175,080 towards electric beds.
Frankston Hospital. $162,325 for general-purpose x-ray equipment.
Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute. $810,000 for a gamma camera.
Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital. $162,705 for a digital angiography camera and attachments.
Monash Medical Centre. $590,240 for physiological patient monitors for the intensive care unit, bedside and transport monitors and an ECG.
Monash Medical Centre. $112,230 towards beds and lifting equipment, and $200,000 for replacement instrument washers.
Monash Medical Centre. $287,402 for an endoscopic suite and equipment to replace obsolete items.
Moorabbin Hospital. $234,130 for 10 operating suite physiological patient monitors.
Western Hospital and Sunshine Hospital. $250,340 towards replacement of equipment, including laparoscopy towers, a twin-channel gastroscope, colonoscope and gastro-videoscope.
Western Hospital. $267,660 for three steam steriliser units.
Williamstown Hospital. $82,652 for single-chamber instrument and equipment washers.
Western Hospital. $40,459 for a replacement cardiac exercise system and treadmill.
Western Hospital. $45,526 for two multi-channel interpretative electrocardiographs for the emergency department.
Western Hospital. $256,000 towards two radiographic units, and $191,000 for instrument washing equipment.
VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT RURAL HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT FUNDING
Barwon Health, Geelong. $550,000 towards cardiac monitors, and other specialist monitoring systems.
South West Healthcare, Warrnambool. $45,000 for an instrument washer, dryer and ultrasonic cleaner.
South West Healthcare, Warrnambool. $90,000 towards ENT instruments and an endoscopic camera tower.
Western District Health Service. $161,500 towards a steriliser unit, dental instruments, an anaesthetic trolley and other equipment.
Portland District Hospital. $90,000 towards two anaesthetic monitors and an intubating bronchoscope, and $75,000 for a mobile x-ray unit.
Colac Area Health. $130,000 towards an image intensifier and a video printer.
Latrobe Regional Health. $225,000 towards 16 patient monitors.
Bairnsdale Regional Health Service. $109,500 towards two ECG machines, two pulse oximeters and other equipment.
Bass Coast Regional Health. $60,000 towards an operating table.
Omeo District Hospital. $13,000 for a defibrillator.
Orbost Regional Health. $28,000 towards a laptop ventilator.
West Gippsland Healthcare Group. $70,000 towards three patient monitors.
South Gippsland Hospital. $45,000 towards a CPAP machine, two trolleys and two patient monitors.
Djerriwarrh Health Service. $80,000 towards 11 patient trolleys and a lifting machine.
Rural Northwest Health. $87,000 towards an x-ray generator, floor-mounted x-ray tube stand and other equipment.
Wimmera Health Care Group. $75,000 towards a steriliser unit and two oncology pumps, and $40,000 towards a steam sterilising unit.
Wodonga Regional Health Service. $280,000 towards two CTG machines, five incubators, a birthing bed and other equipment.
Wimmera Health Care Group. $55,000 for an automated endoscope reprocessing machine.
Ballarat Health Service. $275,000 towards five patient monitors and an intensive care unit ventilator.
East Grampians Health Service. $50,000 towards instrument washing, cleaning and drying equipment.
Edenhope & District Hospital. $25,000 towards an ultrasonic cleaner, utensil washer and drying cabinet.
Stawell Regional Health. $35,000 towards a phaco-emulsifier and $8000 towards a cardiography recorder.
Upper Murray Health & Community Services. $49,000 towards a soluscope.
Goulburn Valley Health. $149,000 for seven defibrillator monitors, nine defibrillators and a defibrillator analyser.
Northeast Health Wangaratta. $340,000 for a patient monitoring system.
Yea & District Memorial Hospital. $55,000 towards a defibrillator monitor, 3 infusion pumps, 2 patient trolleys and other equipment.
Seymour District Memorial Hospital. $30,000 towards a cardiac monitoring system.
Bendigo Health Care Group. $525,000 towards 8 patient monitors, a central monitoring station, telemetry system, ventilator and other gear, $145,000 for a surgical instrument washer and $20,000 towards an orthopaedic surgery operating accessory table.
East Wimmera Health Service. $30,000 towards four trolleys.
Mt Alexander Hospital, Castlemaine. $105,000 towards 2 sterilising units and a sonic irrigator.
Echuca Regional Health. $110,000 for two anaesthetic monitors. $40,000 towards an operating table.
Inglewood & District Hospital. $10,000 for a defibrillator.
Maryborough District Health Service. $75,000 towards a laparoscope, hysterscope, tonsil set, a defibrillator, ulstrasonic cleaner and other equipment.
Swan Hill District Health. $145,000 towards 2 operating tables, orthopaedic attachments, an ophthalmology trolley and other equipment.
Media contact: Ben Hart on 9651 5799 or 0407 445 551 www.vic.gov.au
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