Bishop digs in for Mater extension
BLESSED are the meek … and so too is the Mater Hospital’s $ 52 million extension.
Townsville Catholic Bishop Tim Harris performed the blessing with sprig and holy water at the Lothair St site in Pimlico yesterday.
He also joined hospital staff and contractors to turn the first sod, marking the start of work.
The not- for- profit Catholic health service has big plans for the expansion of its Pimlico campus and this is the first stage of what is expected to be $ 100 million project.
Bishop Harris said the blessing allowed for the development to begin on a good foundation.
About 100 jobs are being created with the launch of the project that will provide four new operating theatres, a day surgery unit and expanded X- ray facilities.
Mater CEO Gerard Wyvill said people in the North deserved the same high level of facilities and services offered in major metropolitan private hospitals and should be able to receive it without the need to travel.
“The expansion project will deliver the latest private hospital facilities and services for our patients which will be equal to or better than any private hospital in Australia,” Mr Wyvill said.
“With the new day surgery and state- of- the- art digital operating theatres our patients will be operated on by the North’s leading surgeons in the latest facilities.”
Project builders CPB Contractors will undertake the development.
CPB Contractors project director Carmelo Di Bello said the project had been a great opportunity to keep their locally based staff and families in the Townsville region after the company recently had completed redevelopment of the Townsville Hospital.
The expansion is due for completion in 2020.