JUNE 25, 2014 \ WYNDHAM.STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
■ $95
million health boost
■ 192
new beds
New hospital option A new 112-bed private hospital is to be built in Werribee at a cost of $75 million. St Vincent’s Health Australia announced on Tuesday its plans to open a private facility opposite Werribee Mercy Hospital by 2016. In 2012, it was revealed the organisation had bought four hectares of land on Hoppers Lane where a new hospital would be built as part of the East Werribee Employment Precinct. St Vincent’s Private Melbourne chief executive Ian Grisold said the hospital would treat more than 16,000 patients a year and employ 270 people. The three-storey hospital will include for orthopaedic, obstetrics, cardiology, ear nose and throat, oncology, gynaecology, general surgery and rehabilitation services. Mr Grisold said the hospital would also help with Wyndham’s baby boom. “Today, one out of every two mothers in the Wyndham area who gives birth needs to go outside the local community for their care,” he said. “Many currently travel to St Vincent’s Private in Fitzroy … soon they’ll have the St Vincent’s Private choice in their own backyard.” A $20 million 80-bed aged-care centre will also be built on the site. It will cater for residents with dementia and provide respite care for people who are financially disadvantaged. Victorian Health Minister David Davis said the hospital was a major addition to the growing health precinct on Hoppers Lane. “Development of a new St Vincent’s private hospital and aged-care facility represents a $95 million investment in Werribee and the outer west’s healthcare and follows the completion of a $28 million redevelopment in February this year at the publicly funded Mercy Hospital,” Mr Davis said. “The hospital will include several operating theatres, a day procedure unit and a cardiac catheter laboratory to provide additional health services to the people of Wyndham.” Planning Minister Matthew Guy told Star Weekly the construction of a privately funded hospital in East Werribee showed there was significant developer interest in the area. The new hospital will be built next to the Wyndham Private Medical Centre and across the road from the 200-bed Werribee Mercy Hospital. It’s expected construction will begin in the next six to eight months.
(Artist impressions supplied)
By Xavier Smerdon
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