By XAVIER SMERDON
A NEW hospital will be built in Werribee with St Vincent’s Health Australia confirming it will be establishing a 150 bed private facility.
As revealed by Star last month, St Vincent’s has purchased a four hectare parcel of land on Hoppers Lane and will build its new hospital as part of the new East Werribee Employment Precinct.
Premier Ted Baillieu announced the new mega-precinct for Wyndham last week.
It will include 7,000 new homes for about 20,000 people, however Wyndham residents have already aired their concerns about the plan.
Chief Executive Officer of St Vincent’s Private Hospital Melbourne, Martin Day, confirmed plans for the new hospital last week.
“By acquiring this strategic site, SVHA has signalled its desire to be a contributor to the long-term future of Wyndham through the establishment of a new private hospital co-located with Werribee Mercy,” Mr Day said.
“Our first step in this journey has been to acquire the most appropriate site.”
Mr Day said clinical services provided by the facility in the first stage could include general surgery, cardiology, orthopaedics, general medicine, oncology, urology gynaecology and psychiatry.
“Our initial ideas include building a 150 bed private hospital in three stages, starting with 40 beds and four operating theatres then expanding as demand builds,” he said.
“Subsequent stages could include obstetrics, paediatrics, plastic and reconstructive surgery”.
Mr Day said the SVHA Board would consult with the Wyndham community and local health providers when determining the model of care and services best suited to the area.
“Because this process will take some time, SVHA is not in a position at this stage to announce a commencement date for St Vincent’s Private Werribee,” he said.
Opened in 1993, the Werribee Mercy Hospital currently has about 200 beds.
Wyndham residents have long been calling for a second hospital to accommodate the municipality’s rapidly growing population.
According to the Department of Health the total number of patients admitted to the Werribee Mercy Hospital in the January to March quarter this year was 6663, an increase of just under 250 patients from the same quarter last year.
More than 26,000 patients were admitted to the hospital last year alone.
According to Wyndham Council’s own population forecast data, Wyndham will grow by more than 50,000 people over the next five years and will eventually reach 334,676 by 2031.
