Beds built in VCCC to treat cancer patients turned into stroke beds, Opposition claims

ROOMS built as part to the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre to house 32-cancer beds are instead being used for a new Royal Melbourne Hospital stroke unit, the state opposition claims.

A BED fight has broken out over the use of rooms originally built for cancer patients as part of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre which have been reassigned for use as a stroke ward at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

A 32-bed unit was built into the eighth floor of the RMH and included as “shell space” to accommodate future cancer patients as part of the wider VCCC project.

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However, the space was not opened or fitted out when the centre opened in mid-2016.

Melbourne Health has instead began fitting out its eighth floor to house a world-leading new stroke centre, though hospital sources and the state government deny the development affects the number of beds included in the VCCC partnership.

Opposition health spokeswoman Mary Wooldridge has accused the Andrews government of secretly cutting back the project. Picture: Steve Tanner

Opposition health spokeswoman Mary Wooldridge said documents provided to ­parliament two months after the VCCC opened had confirmed the unit contained 32 of its 160 cancer beds.

She accused the Andrews Government of secretly cutting back the project.

“Victoria’s population is growing by nearly 150,000 a year but Daniel Andrews is actually cutting the number of beds for cancer patients,” Ms Wooldridge said.

“With this massive population growth, the Premier should be funding more beds but instead he’s scrapped 42 cancer beds for Peter Mac Private and now he’s axed 32 public beds.”

The VCCC is an alliance between a dozen leading hospital and research institutes, including Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Melbourne Health, with facilities in both the main VCCC building and ­refurb­ish­ed sections of the RMH connected by pedestrian bridges.

While Melbourne Health plans to open the eighth floor stroke unit next year, it is believed to have allocated another space on level six to house up to a dozen cancer beds as part of the VCCC.

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Jill Hennessy said it was up to Melbourne Health to decide which areas to set aside for different uses. Picture: David Crosling, AAP Image.

Health Minister Jill Hennessy said no cancer beds or services would be affected by the creation of the stroke unit and it was up to Melbourne Health to decide which areas to set aside for different uses.

Ms Hennessy also hit back at the Liberals for questioning Melbourne Health’s commitment to the VCCC project, claiming the former Coalition government had cut funding for the eighth floor, prompting the hospital to pour in $4.5 million of its own funding.

“These are Liberal lies — no cancer bed numbers or cancer service provision will be affected by these plans,” she said.

“In original plans, level 8 of Building B was always part of the Royal Melbourne Hospital and earmarked for use and operation by Royal Melbourne Hospital. The Hospital has decided to use this level to house a new stroke ward, opening in 2019.

“Once this project is complete, 20 more surgical beds will be available at the Hospital.”

Melbourne Health and the VCCC referred queries to the Department of Health and Minister’s office.

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