An extra 140 hospital beds will open as part of a $30 million State Government announcement for a new inpatient tower at Casey Hospital to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Built as part of a $135 million redevelopment, the new inpatient tower includes an additional 128 beds, and a 12-bed Intensive Care Unit, which will help take some of the strain off the major tertiary hospitals as demand increases. It’s understood the beds will be available in the next two to three weeks.
It comes as the State Government announced a new $100 million COVID-19 response package designed to boost capacity in the health system in preparation for the pandemic peak.
More than $60 million will be made available to both public and private hospitals to undertake additional surgery such as thyroid, prostate, hernia or gynaecological surgeries – so they can be done before the predicted peak of the pandemic places further strain on the hospital system.
Emergency surgeries will continue to be performed and it’s likely that procedures in less urgent categories will have to be postponed.
More than 7,000 Victorians will be fast-tracked for elective surgery in the next few weeks, in the next step of Victoria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the move would help avoid longer waiting times and ensure additional capacity in the hospital system.
“We know that when the COVID-19 pandemic reaches its peak our hospitals are going to be busier than ever, so it makes sense to get as many patients as possible in for elective surgery now, while we still can,” he said.
Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos said: “Our hospitals have been planning for this pandemic to ensure they have the capacity to deal with an influx of patients with COVID-19 and ensure the continued safety of staff.”
The State Government will also spend $10 million to boost personal protective equipment supplies in Victoria – including 100 million gloves, 10 million masks and 1.5 million gowns to ensure health workers have the necessary resources to do their jobs.
A State of Emergency has also been declared in Victoria to combat COVID-19 and help to provide the Chief Health Officer with the powers he needs to enforce 14-day isolation requirements for all travellers entering Australia and cancel mass gatherings of more than 500 people,
The State of Emergency began on Monday 16 March at midday and will be in force for the next four weeks to assist with measures designed to ‘flatten the curve’ of COVID-19 and give our health system the best chance of managing the virus.
Victorian health authorities reported the number of coronavirus cases in Victoria stood at 71.
The new cases include six men and two women with ages ranging from their teens to 60s.
One is a student – a known contact of case 17, a teacher from Carey Grammar. The student was not at school during their infectious period. The school will remain closed until the holidays.
For more information visit dhhs.vic.gov.au/novelcoronavirus or call the Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398 for advice if you are displaying symptoms.
