The Andrews Labor Government's new emergency department at Monash Medical Centre is now complete, meaning families in Melbourne's expanding south-east have better access to emergency care close to home.
Acting Premier James Merlino and Minister for Health Martin Foley today officially opened the new cutting-edge facility and met some of the first patients being treated there.
The new 35 bed emergency department, part of a $76.3 million expansion and traffic improvement project, includes a new triage entrance, nine resuscitation bays and pandemic negative air flow capability.
There is also a dedicated and calming space, purpose built for families, where children will be treated - making trips to the emergency department less scary for kids.
The upgrade of Monash Medical Centre's existing emergency department is expected to commence in April and will include a separate six bed short-stay unit to treat people with mental health or drug and alcohol problems requiring urgent care and support.
Once the full project is completed in mid-2022, an additional 24 emergency department beds and an extra 10 short-stay beds will be added, enabling the emergency department to treat 46,000 extra patients each year.
The redevelopment will also improve access for ambulances arriving at Monash Medical Centre and address traffic and congestion concerns for patients and staff accessing the hospital. These important traffic works are on track to be completed late this year.
Delivery of the emergency department expansion is supporting Victorian jobs, including more than 120 construction jobs at the peak of the project.
As stated by Acting Premier James Merlino
"We promised to build a new emergency department for the local community, and that's exactly what we've done - delivering world-class healthcare for Melbourne's growing south-east."
As stated by Minister for Health Martin Foley
"This exciting new state of the art facility is another example of our strong record of delivering for Victorians - once complete, the facility will be able to support 46,0000 more emergency department presentations each year."
As stated by Member for Clarinda Meng Heang Tak
"We're continuing to deliver for local families with access to leading healthcare with purpose-built facilities for kids close to home."
As stated by Member for Oakleigh Steve Dimopoulos
"We're not just giving local families peace of mind that world-class healthcare is on their doorstep - we're also creating more than 120 Victorian jobs at the peak of the project's construction."
