Patients first as Wonthaggi Hospital gets $115m upgrade

Communities undergoing major growth need bigger, better hospitals – and that’s exactly what the Victorian Government is delivering at Bass Coast Shire, with $115 million in funding allocated to expand Wonthaggi Hospital.

The hospital’s expansion is an important project for the Bass Coast Shire community, given the population is projected to have grown by an extra 55 per cent by 2031, making it one of the highest growth areas in regional Victoria. With more beds and more space, a modernised Wonthaggi Hospital will be able to treat more patients and provide the care that the community deserves as the Shire’s population grows.

When completed, Wonthaggi Hospital will have the capacity to treat an extra 26,000 emergency patients a year. The upgrade will also reduce the need to transfer critical patients to other hospitals, saving all-important minutes and ensuring patients can stay closer to their families.

Funded as part of the 2018-19 Victorian Budget, the expansion plan will deliver a new operating theatre, refurbishment of the two existing operating theatres, a redevelopment of the emergency department that will add 12 more cubicles and six more treatment spaces, 32 new inpatient beds and redevelopment of four short stay beds.

The new funding comes on top of a $1.9 million boost for safety upgrades at Wonthaggi Hospital, delivered as part of the Victorian Government’s $250 million Regional Health Infrastructure Fund.

Due for completion by 2023, the redevelopment will boost the local economy by creating an extra 345 local jobs.

Learn more about the Wonthaggi Hospital expansion via our dedicated project page.