An extra 50,000 people a year in Melbourne’s south will have access to state-of-the-art screening in detecting cancer earlier and more accurately with new medical imaging equipment and expansion at Moorabbin Hospital, following a major Andrews Labor Government upgrade.
Minister for Health Jill Hennessy and Member for Bentleigh Nick Staikos today officially opened the new outpatient consulting, examination and waiting rooms, in a $16.1 million upgrade, which includes $4.4 million new imaging equipment for detecting cancers.
The upgrade includes:
- More than doubling the number of consulting and examination rooms - from 10 to 21
- Increased bed holding capacity in the medical imaging area
- Increased waiting areas for outpatients
- A new Position Emission Tomography/Computer Tomography (PET/CT) machine
- A new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine.
PET and MRI imaging are used to detect cancer, determine whether a cancer has spread in the body, assess the effectiveness of a treatment plan or determine if a cancer has returned after treatment. These state of the art machines will make it fairer for patients in need in Melbourne’s south seeking cancer treatment.
Moorabbin Hospital is home to the Monash Cancer Centre, one of Victoria’s premier integrated cancer treatment centres, with radiotherapy services provided in longstanding partnership with the renowned Peter MacCallum Cancer .
It provides the people of southern Melbourne and beyond with access to treatment, care and support services in a single convenient location and close to where they live.
The Hospital is also the location of the regional offices of the Southern Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service and BreastScreen Victoria, and a major centre for cancer-related and other medical research.
The major upgrade – an Andrews Labor Government election commitment - was funded in the 2015 Victorian Budget, with the project commencing that same year.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Jill Hennessy
“We know early detection, accurate diagnoses and cutting-edge treatment of cancer is crucial in saving lives. That’s why we’re giving more Victorians access to these services, closer to home.”
“We’re putting the health of Victorians first, and these state-of-the-art facilities in Melbourne’s south will help our doctors detect more cancers, sooner.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Bentleigh Nick Staikos
“This expansion at Moorabbin Hospital is part of our plan to make it fairer for Victorians, no matter where they live, to get quality and safe healthcare.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020