Australia’s first specialist stand-alone heart hospital will become a reality with the Andrews Labor Government investing an additional $320 million to build the Victorian Heart Hospital.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Health Jill Hennessy visited Monash University to announce the $543 million project, with contributions from partners Monash University and Monash Health.
The funding comes on top of the $150 million the Labor Government has already contributed to the project.
The Hospital will bring together the world’s best experts in cardiovascular care, ground breaking medical research and training for the next generation of Victorian heart specialists.
It will treat cardiac diseases from early childhood to advanced adult life, and will include an emergency department, cardiac catheterisation labs, specialist surgical and imaging facilities and telehealth services for patients across Victoria, interstate and around the world.
Not only will the hospital put Victoria on the world map, it will provide major advances in research and treatment of people with heart disease. It will be built in the University grounds off Blackburn Rd in Clayton, adjacent to the Australian Synchrotron.
The new hospital will have 195 beds, with the capacity to provide 2,000 cardiac surgeries each year, 13,500 cardiac catheterisation laboratory procedures and 108,000 consultations and outpatient appointments.
It will play an important role in training our cardiac care medicine, nursing and allied health professionals into the future, with more than 300 undergraduate students, 260 postgraduate students and 20 PhD students each year.
The hospital will also focus on diagnosis and treatment of cardiac patients in country Victoria through telehealth facilities, connecting specialists with country patients and their local doctors, removing the need to travel to specialist appointments and enabling people to continue their daily lives while waiting for their consultation.
The design includes scope for expansion to build capacity to meet future demand and additional research space. Project partners are leading an ambitious fundraising campaign to support this. The Victorian Heart Hospital project will be completed in 2022.
Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“The Heart Hospital will be the jewel in the crown in our efforts to combat and treat cardiac diseases. It will save and change thousands of lives.”
“Victoria is already home to some of the world’s best cardiac doctors, clinicians and researchers – and now we’re building them the world-class facilities to match.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Jill Hennessy
“The Victorian Heart Hospital is a Victorian first – an Australian first – it is truly world-leading stuff.”
“It will not only provide the very best cardiac care for patients with heart disease – it will be home to ground-breaking medical research, training and education.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020