A few tears of joy were shed on Friday as staff at Wangaratta hospital welcomed news the organisation would receive the full $22 million required to create an extra 27 beds and upgrade emergency and maternity services.
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Chief executive Margaret Bennett said the extra $6.9 million for stage two, following an initial funding announcement last year, would allow the stages to be completed together, instead of splitting up work and waiting for more funding
“It sees an expansion of the emergency department, the development of the new critical care unit and a significant reconfiguration on the ward. It’s very exciting not just for Northeast Health, but the North East community we serve,” she said.
The hospital last year had a five per cent increase through its emergency department and 70 more babies born than in 2016.
“There is a growth in aging and chronic illness and that’s driving a lot of our activity through the emergency department,” Ms Bennett said.
She said works to begin next year would take 18 months, but not interrupt the functioning of the hospital.
Premier Daniel Andrews visited the hospital on Friday, saying his government granted the organisation two lots of funding within 12 months because it was important for patients to access health car close to home.
“Wangaratta Base Hospital has always done more work than your typical sub-regional hospital and that’s because of amazing relationships with doctors and specialists over a long period of time,” he said.
“There are less patients that leave this region to go to Melbourne to get the care that they need because the level of care has always been high here.”
The premier’s hospital tour included a demonstration of cardiac equipment which allows ECG data to be sent from Alpine Heath.
“If you’ve got data in the hands of the best clinicians, then they can make better choices,” Mr Andrews said.