Artist's impression of new Footscray Hospital to be built if the Andrews Government is re-elected
The Andrews Government has promised to build a new $1.5 billion Footscray Hospital if re-elected.
The 504-bed facility would be built next to Victoria University on a new site near the corner of Ballarat and Geelong roads, Footscray.
Construction would begin in 2020 and the hospital open by 2025, the Premier Daniel Andrews and Health Minister Jill Hennessy announced. Ms Hennessy said the hospital will treat an extra 15,000 patients each year, easing the pressure on Melbourne’s health system.
‘This commitment will be an absolute game changer for healthcare in Melbourne’s western suburbs,’ Ms Hennessy said.
‘There’ll be a very big expansion of mental health services and palliative care services as well as outpatient clinics [and] 2000 jobs delivered during the construction period,’ Ms Hennessy said.
The new Footscray Hospital would be the second new hospital in the western suburbs delivered by the Andrews Government, with the $200 million Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital set to open its doors in Sunshine in 2019.
‘A new Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Sunshine and a new Footscray Hospital will take pressure off inner-city hospitals and give provide world-class health care and facilities for local communities of the west,’ Ms Hennessy said.
Frankston Hospital redevelopment
The Andrews Government has also promised a $562 million redevelopment of Frankston Hospital with 120 new hospital beds, two new operating theatres and an additional 13 new emergency department beds as part of the 11-storey project.
It will deliver a massive expansion of child and maternal health services to meet growing demand as more young families move to Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs. This includes a new maternity ward, obstetrics ward, women’s clinic, paediatric ward and special care nursery.
Two levels of the 11-storey hospital redevelopment will be devoted entirely to mental health services. There will also be a new oncology ward and oncology day clinic. If the Andrews Government is re-elected, work is expected to start in 2020 and finish in 2024.
Latrobe expansion
The Andrews Government also announced it will deliver another expansion of the Latrobe Regional Hospital at Traralgon if re-elected.
An upgrade of the hospital with more than 70 new beds, a bigger emergency department and cardiac surgery facilities opened this year.
If re-elected the government has promised to invest a further $217 million in the hospital delivering an additional 44 new beds. The hospital’s theatre complex will be expanded to include three new operating theatres and an additional 14 new medical and surgical beds for recovery, which will provide up to 6,200 more elective surgeries per year and cut waiting times.
Two new birthing suites and six new maternity beds will be added to the maternity unit, as well as six special care nursery cots.
Authorised by Lisa Fitzpatrick, Secretary, ANMF (Vic Branch), 535 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
