The Andrews Labor Government will invest more than $2.9 billion to build new hospitals and upgrade existing ones as part of the Victorian Budget 2022/23.
The funding package includes record investments to upgrade and improve health infrastructure across metropolitan and regional health services through the Metropolitan and Regional Health Infrastructure Funds.
Providing more care for communities in the western suburbs will be critical as they continue to grow – so the Government will invest more than $900 million in a new tertiary hospital for Melbourne’s west, with final designs to be informed by community and stakeholder engagement.
The new Melton Hospital will include a 24-hour emergency department, more than 100 medical and surgical beds, an intensive care unit, maternity and neonatal services, more mental health services, interventional services and ambulatory care.
Building a local hospital will also mean hundreds of local jobs – not only in construction, but in running the hospital after it opens.
This Budget provides more than $500 million to deliver the Barwon Women’s and Children’s Hospital for Geelong’s rapidly growing population, with new operating theatres and expanded paediatric and maternity inpatient units, birthing suites, special care nursery, maternity assessment unit and women’s and paediatric outpatient services.
This expanded project will ensure Barwon Health can support more mothers, babies and children to receive the best care, close to home.
Werribee Mercy Hospital and Casey Hospital will get expanded emergency departments with $236 million to double the size of both emergency departments and get patients home from hospital sooner.
We’re upgrading regional hospitals too, with a record $300 million investment in the Regional Health Infrastructure Fund, for projects ranging from operating theatre refurbishments to equipment upgrades. This investment means every regional hospital will receive support for an upgrade or new equipment.
Since the program was started in 2016, we have funded more than 480 projects in regional areas – and with this expansion, our investment will total $790 million.
This Budget also means more life-saving equipment for hospitals and upgrades to engineering infrastructure like generators, chillers, emergency lighting, nurse call systems and patient lifts across the state with:
$35 million for the Medical Equipment Replacement Program $20 million for the Engineering Infrastructure Replacement Program $25 million for the Metropolitan Health Infrastructure Fund
As stated by Minister for Health Martin Foley
“The pandemic has reminded us of what matters most – the health and wellbeing of the people we love.”
“Our healthcare workers across the state go above and beyond to give Victorians world-class care, and we’re investing to make sure they’ve got world-class hospitals and medical equipment to match.”
“This is about giving Victorians the confidence that when they need medical care, they’ll get it in a first-rate health and hospital system.”
