Media Release: $25 MILLION BOOST FOR LIFE-SAVING HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT

FROM THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH

DATE: Thursday, May 18, 2006

$25 MILLION BOOST FOR LIFE-SAVING HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT

The Bracks Government has provided $25 million for public hospitals around the State to buy much-needed medical equipment such as patient monitoring and diagnostic devices, Health Minister Bronwyn Pike announced today.

Ms Pike said the grants included big-ticket pieces of equipment that would improve the quality of care and help meet the growth in patient numbers.

Funds for the purchase of CT and MRI scanners, operating suite equipment, patient monitors, sterilisation systems and defibrillators are among the grants. The funding includes $1.7 million for a new CT scanner for the Alfred Hospital.

“This new 64-slice CT scanner is able to deliver images significantly faster than the previous model, meaning ill and injured patients can be examined a lot more efficiently and with a lot less discomfort,” Ms Pike said.

“CT scanners are specialised x-ray equipment used to obtain cross-sectional images of the body in patients with cancer, stroke and other vascular diseases, infectious diseases and acute abdominal and thoracic conditions, and after serious injury.

“With the Alfred being a busy major trauma hospital, there is a high demand for CT scanner images of patients coming into the emergency department as a matter of urgency.

“Patients will be able to be processed much faster with the new equipment. The latest multi-slice technology improves examination speed significantly, allowing patients requiring urgent scans to be treated more quickly.”

Ms Pike said Victorian hospitals need to stay abreast of developments in medical science and technology to ensure they continue to provide the best possible care to their patients.

“This funding will enable hospitals to take advantage of advances in medical technology and buy the latest equipment, to allow them to treat people more accurately and quickly,” Ms Pike said.

The funds include $4 million for a cyclotron at Austin Health, $1.25 million for a cardiac catheter laboratory at Monash Medical Centre and $2.5 million for an MRI scanner at the RMH.

“Rural public hospitals received $4.65 million of the funding for important upgrading and replacement programs,” Ms Pike said.

These grant include $2.5 million for a linear accelerator at Barwon Health, $75,000 for a central monitor at South West Healthcare Warrnambool, $160,000 for operating room tables at Goulburn Valley Health and $65,000 for a laparoscopy suite at Stawell Regional Health.

FOR LOCAL GRANTS, SEE THE ATTACHED LIST

METRO HOSPITAL GRANTS

Austin Hospital. $500,000 for a multi-chamber tunnel washer

Alfred Hospital. $570,000 for physiological patient monitors in the intensive care unit.

Alfred Hospital. $1,659,910 for 64-slice CT scanner for the emergency department.

Angliss Hospital. $956,000 for a 16-slice CT scanner.

Angliss Hospital. $208,116 for an operating suite camera system.

Royal Melbourne Hospital. $2,530,000 for an MRI scanner.

Royal Melbourne Hospital. $725,726 for physiological patient monitors for the coronary care unit, cardiac catheter laboratory, and cardiac ward.

Royal Melbourne Hospital. $221,147 for an ultrasound unit.

Royal Melbourne Hospital. $570,000 for a digital mammography system.

Mercy Hospital for Women. $417,073 for radiant warmers and resuscitation cots, and a transport monitor.

Werribee Mercy Hospital. $157,800 for a mobile infant warmer and resuscitation cots.

Frankston Hospital. $191,598 for anaesthetic monitor upgrades, an anaesthetic monitor recorder and anaesthetic machine.

Frankston and Rosebud Hospitals. $222,132 for washing disinfectors (Frankston Hospital) and a pre-vac steriliser (Rosebud).

Royal Women’s Hospital. $280,992 for CTG machines, and for CTG machines with twin monitors and cordless transducers.

Monash Medical Centre Clayton. $1,245,836 for a cardiac catheterisation laboratory.

Western Hospital. $703,643 for monitors for the anaesthetic-induction room, Recovery Room and Day Procedure Unit, and 8 monitors for the Operating Room.

Sunshine Hospital. $432,734 for 17 monitors for anaesthetic-induction room, Recovery Room, Day Procedure Unit and 3 monitors for the Operating Room.

Williamstown Hospital. $205,561 for anaesthetic monitors, Recovery Room monitors and transport monitor.

Sunshine Hospital. $217,736 for a laparoscopic tower system.

COUNTRY HOSPITAL GRANTS

Timboon & District Healthcare Service. $45,000 for an operating theatre table.

South West Healthcare – Warrnambool. $75,000 for a central monitor.

South West Healthcare – Camperdown. $6000 for a bariatric bed.

Heywood Rural Health. $5000 for an infusion pump.

Casterton Memorial Hospital. $10,000 for defibrillators.

Western District Health Service – Hamilton. $50,000 for anaesthetic monitors.

Hesse Rural Health Service – Winchelsea. $10,000 for defibrillators.

Barwon Health – Geelong. $120,000 for an x-ray unit.

Barwon Health – Geelong. $105,000 for dental chairs.

Portland District Health. $18,000 for an ultrasonic cleaner.

Colac Area Health. $69,000 for an operating table.

Central Gippsland Health Service – Sale. $114,000 for patient bedside monitors.

Central Gippsland Health Service – Maffra. $36,000 for aged care electric beds.

Bass Coast Regional Health Service – Wonthaggi. $6000 for a bariatric bed.

Omeo District Health. $85,000 for a CR unit.

Southern Gippsland Health Service – Leongatha. $30,000 for defibrillators.

Southern Gippsland Health Service – Korumburra. $30,000 for defibrillators.

Rural Northwest Health – Warracknabeal. $10,000 for a cardiograph ECG machine.

Rural Northwest Health – Warracknabeal. $16,000 for a cardiac monitor.

Edenhope & District Memorial Hospital. $10,000 for an interpretive ECG unit.

East Wimmera Health Service – St Arnaud. $40,000 for a capnograph.
Wimmera Health Care Group – Horsham. $50,000 for a phacomachine.

Hepburn Health Service – Daylesford. $50,000 for an endoscopic cleaner.
Ballarat Health Services. $54,000 for defibrillators.

Ballarat Health Services. $50,000 for a haemofilter.

Ballarat Health Services. $31,500 for a monitor for the mental health unit.

Stawell Regional Health. $65,000 for a laparascopy suite.

Alexandra District Hospital. $80,000 for an electronic delivery bed.

Benalla Hospital. $13,500 for an operating suite steriliser.

Benalla Hospital. $18,000 for a humicrib.

Goulburn Valley Health – Shepparton. $160,000 for operating theatre tables.

Goulburn Valley Health – Shepparton. $34,000 for an ECT machine for the mental health unit; vital signs monitors and a cardiograph ECG machine.

Wodonga Regional Health Service. $205,000 for infusion pumps and an instrument washer.

Rochester & Elmore District Health Service – Rochester. $15,000 for defibrillators.

Echuca Regional Health. $100,000 for an anaesthetic monitoring system.

Bendigo Health Care Group. $105,000 for an othopantomogram.

Mt Alexander Hospital – Castlemaine. $105,000 for a cardiac monitoring unit.

Swan Hill District Hospital. $70,000 for a gastrovideoscope.

Kyneton District Health Service. $6000 for a bariatric bed.

Cohuna District Hospital. $50,000 for an operating suite steriliser.

Geelong & South West Breastscreen. $250,409 for a stereo core biopsy unit.