Echuca Regional Health is celebrating after the Victorian Government announced nearly $10 million in upgrades on Thursday.
During a visit to the hospital, Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas confirmed ERH would be receiving $9.7 million in funding towards the Central Sterile Services Department and Oral Health Unit.
The funding will allow the hospital to move both departments to a refurbished Lumeah building, which will provide a modern and more efficient working environment for staff.
As part of the funding, equipment upgrades will ensure sterilising systems meet the latest standards and deliver new modern reusable medical devices that improve cleaning processes.
ERH associate nurse unit manager Sharelle Riordan said the team was looking forward to the new equipment.
“We are excited about what the investment in our sterilising department means for surgical services in our region,” she said.
“It will help us grow these services in the future, and the upgrade will provide our expert sterilising team with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.”
There will also be a separate waiting room for children created in the relocated Oral Health Unit.
Ms Thomas said that in her role as health minister, she was aware of the importance of access to dental care.
“Oral health is one of the leading causes of preventable hospital admissions for under-12s. Ensuring that we start young with the investment we’ve made here at Echuca Regional Health ... will make a huge difference,” she said.
“What we’ve seen here today at Echuca Regional Health is a fantastic, very committed, highly professional team working in conditions that aren’t as good as they could be.
“With the funding today, they’re going to be able to have first-class facilities that will match the first-class care that they already deliver.”
ERH senior dentist Dr Anjali Ragade said the funding would ensure the hospital could deliver oral healthcare well into the future.
“ERH provides oral health care to priority populations across the catchment, and provisions of a new clinic will improve the ability to provide timely and safe access to care in a fit-for-purpose facility,” she said.
“It will also support ERH’s capability to continue our work as a training facility that supports our ability to attract, recruit and retain a skilled workforce.
“The facility will enable our ability to expand our primary prevention programs aimed at improving population health outcomes for our community.”
Delivering improvements to regional healthcare has been a driving aim of the current government, according to Ms Thomas.
“Our government has always had a deep and abiding commitment to strengthening rural and regional healthcare,” she said.
“That’s demonstrated by our signature program, the Regional Health Infrastructure Fund, which has now delivered more than $790 million of investment into regional and rural health services across more than 670 separate projects.”
ERH chief executive Robyn Lindsay said the funding was excellent news.
“Echuca Regional Health is really grateful for the investment in both our oral health program and our surgical services,” she said.
“We look forward to the replacement of our sterilising department, supporting us in continuing to provide high-quality surgical services and growing those in the future, and rebuilding our Oral Health Unit.”