Residents across the Latrobe Valley can now access world-class healthcare closer to home with the completion of the Allan Labor Government’s expansion and upgrade of Latrobe Regional Hospital.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Health Infrastructure Mary-Anne Thomas today officially opened the $223.5 million upgrade which includes expanded maternity services, new emergency department facilities and new theatres to deliver more surgery.
Catering to the region’s growing population, the hospital’s maternity ward now includes two new birthing suites, six maternity beds, six special care nursery cots and a kids play area – ensuring more local mums can give birth closer to home.
The expansion has also delivered three new operating suites and 14 new medical and surgical beds that will support 6,200 additional surgeries each year – helping reduce the wait list and ensure more locals get the surgery they need sooner.
The bigger and better hospital also expanded the emergency department delivering a new resuscitation bay, six intensive care unit beds, 44 inpatient beds, a medical imaging and pathology unit and a central sterile services department.
Importantly, the hospital now also includes a six-bed emergency department mental health, alcohol and other drugs (AOD) hub – ensuring people presenting with mental health or AOD issues can get the right support sooner, while relieving pressure on the general emergency department to focus on other patients.
Delivered by the Victorian Health Building Authority in partnership with Latrobe Regional Health and Built, the project created 600 jobs during construction.
The Latrobe Regional Hospital expansion will meet the region’s increasing and complex health needs and is part of the Labor Government’s plan for delivering improved health services throughout Gippsland.
The $73 million expansion of the Latrobe Regional Hospital (Stage 2) was completed in 2017 and delivered 30 new acute inpatient and 12 short stay beds, a new ED and Gippsland’s first cardiac catheterisation laboratory.
As stated by Premier Jacinta Allan
“We’re making sure people across the Latrobe Valley get the world-class healthcare they need without travelling to the city – meaning new mums can give birth closer to home, and importantly, closer to their support network.”
As stated by Minister for Health Infrastructure Mary-Anne Thomas
“This massive expansion means delivering more surgery, close to home – so more locals can come off waiting lists sooner, reducing pressure on other health services across the region.”
As stated by Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing
“The newly expanded Latrobe Regional Hospital will enable more people across Gippsland to get the care and treatment they need closer to home, and significantly increase our local health and allied health workforce to meet increasing demand.”
