By Stephen Linnell
DIANE Newborn was destined to have children. Her surname says it all.
What she didn’t count on was delivering a child 11 weeks prematurely. But thanks to the staff of the Werribee Mercy Hospital, tiny Ella is now thriving and preparing to venture into a world beyond white hospital walls.
Ms Newborn and Ella are among hundreds of families who benefit from the services provided by Wyndham’s local hospital.
And those services have been given a significant boost following an injection of $14.2 million in last week’s State Budget.
The money will go towards stage one of the hospital redevelopment, which will eventually include additional maternity beds, neonatal cots, operating theatres and recovery and day surgery beds.
According to its chief operating officer, Stephen Cornelissen, the maternity area at Werribee Mercy has 24 integrated beds including birthing suites and antenatal/post natal beds. As well, the special care nursery has 12 cots.
The funding will see the unit increased to 32 maternity beds and 16 nursery cots.
More funding – including money to pay for additional staff – will be required to complete the redevelopment, which will cost about $31 million.
“We do not know when building will commence as we need to work through the building planning process. This will take some time,” Mr Cornelissen said.
“Our project team will meet soon to start planning and will complete detailed drawings of the area, architectural plans and other work of this nature. All of these must be completed before we are able to go to tender for the capital works.
“This will take a good part of the remainder of this year, so the building is not likely to start until next year at the earliest.”
Ms Newborn said: “The money is needed. They provide a great local service.
“Without the Mercy here we’d be lost.”
Last year, 73,737 births were registered in Victoria. That figure is 7.3 per cent higher than the 68,696 registered in 2006 – the steepest one-year jump since 1985.
Births at the Werribee Mercy hospital have increased substantially. Three years ago, a total of 1750 children were delivered.
This had increased to 1915 last financial year.
Wyndham’s burgeoning growth rate is expected to put further pressure on maternity services over the coming year, with Mercy predicting the number of births to rise to about 3000 within the next five years.
Tarneit MP Mr Tim Pallas said a key initiative of last week’s budget was to provide funding for the first stage of the hospital expansion and local ambulance services.
He said the funding would “provide an extra capacity of up to 800 births a year”.
“This comes at a time when new figures show we are in the middle of a baby boom, with the most births recorded in the state last year since 1971,” Mr Pallas said.
“A new 24-hour mobile intensive care ambulance unit will also be provided in Werribee as part of our $185.7 million boost to ambulance services.”
The president of the Municipal Association of Victoria, Dick Gross, said: “State and local government share the cost of providing maternal and child health services but rising birth rates and a shortfall in state funding had left councils bearing an increased proportion of the service costs.”
But the Australian Medical Association said the funding fell short.
“This budget goes a small way towards increasing capacity, but not enough to get ahead.
“The new services and new beds are welcome, but by the time the next budget rolls around in May 2009, we will still be short of beds and short of the staff and equipment to service those patients,” AMA Victoria president Dr Doug Travis said.
“Victoria is 600 hospital beds short, even though we have the most efficient hospitals in the country.
Demand is growing, more people need care, and there just aren’t enough beds, nurses and doctors to meet the health care needs of the community.”
