By ALESHA CAPONE
HEALTH Minister David Davis visited Sunshine Hospital last week to officially open stage three of a $90.5 million development.
Mr Davis toured the hospital’s new acute services building, including a 26-cot special care nursery, adult and paediatric outpatient areas and chemotherapy facilities.
Stage three of the hospital development also included 30 extra day chairs and beds as part of the ambulatory day clinic.
“The community of Sunshine already has a hospital they can be proud of. When these works are completed, they will have an even better facility,” Mr Davis said.
“Not only will the nursery help staff deliver even better care for some of the newest Sunshine residents, but it will also help to ensure that babies needing special care can be treated close to home.”
Western metropolitan MP Andrew Elsbury, Brimbank City Council administrators Jane Nathan and John Watson and Maribyrnong Councillor Martin Zakharov also attended the hospital ceremony.
Western Health board chairperson, Ralph Willis, said the hospital was “very grateful” to the State Government for providing most of the funding for the acute services building.
He said other new additions to Sunshine Hospital had included the Western Centre for Research and Health Education and a radiation centre.
Mr Willis said construction presently taking place at the hospital would see a critical care unit built at the Furlong Rd site.
He said at the moment, patients needing ICU attention were transferred to Western Hospital in Footscray.
“The next step is to develop a women’s and children’s unit, which would be in the order of $140 million and is greatly needed,” Mr Willis said.
In his speech, Mr Willis jokingly asked Mr Davis “not to forget” the need for a women’s and children’s unit at Sunshine Hospital, when the State Government considered future budgets.
