Money for Ararat hospital

East Grampians Health Service will redevelop and expand its operating services with $2.93-million in State Government money.

Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy visited Ararat to announce the funding.

“We’re building an extra operating theatre at Ararat hospital to ensure doctors can perform more surgeries and more patients can get the treatment they need,” she said.

Health service interim chief executive Andrew Freeman said the money would allow the service to increase the size of its second theatre, create additional day-procedure bay capacity and extend and upgrade a Central Sterile Services Department.

“This is an extremely exciting announcement and the benefits will be enormous,” he said.

“By expanding our second theatre we will have improved and timely access to elective surgery resulting in decreased waiting times in the Grampians region.”

Mr Freeman said the expansion would lead to increased surgical throughput, a fully operational second theatre with holding bay and a set-up room that would increase efficiency and theatre capability, and an increase in day procedure bays from six to 10.

He said it would also address storage shortages.

“The upgrade to our Central Sterile Services Department will ensure compliance with national standards and result in the timely turnaround in instrumentation so our theatres are even more efficient,” he said.

The latest cash injection for health in Ararat comes on top of $4.1-million ‘one stop shop’ funding for Ararat community health services.

While in the region, Ms Hennessy announced a $293,000 grant for a Stawell Regional Health Electronic Medial Record Project.

The project, involving the installation of cutting-edge informationtechnology equipment, is designed to bring record keeping at the health service into the 21st century.

The investment will mean the services will move from a paper-based to electronic medical records system, allowing medical staff to quickly access health information.

The money follows funding for two new operating theatres as well as a new chiller, switchboard and lighting equipment at the Stawell hospital.

Meanwhile, Member for Lowan Emma Kealy has called on the State Government to match a $600,000 Liberal-nationals pre-election commitment towards redeveloping Willaura Hospital, part of East Grampians services.

“The Willaura Hospital Auxiliary along with the local community have been fighting for this project for a long time and it is disappointing that Labor will not put this money up,” she said.