Andrews pledges half-a-billion to overhaul Monash Medical Centre

One of Melbourne’s largest hospitals would be able to complete an additional 7500 surgeries each year under an election pledge announced by Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday.

The Andrews government would invest between $510 million and $560 million to upgrade the Monash Medical Centre in the city’s south-east and build new operating theatres, an intensive care unit and birthing suites if re-elected on November 26, he said.

Premier Daniel Andrews said designs for the upgrades would be released next year and construction would start in 2025.Credit: Paul Jeffers

The changes – which include an extra 108 in-patient beds – would allow the Clayton hospital to care for an extra 5500 patients a year who may need to stay overnight following surgery or after giving birth.

Andrews told reporters on Sunday morning that designs for the upgrades would be released next year. Construction is slated to begin in 2025.

“Monash Health services more than a million people ... and these upgrades are critically important,” he said.

“We’re delighted to be able to put them forward as part of our comprehensive plan to keep supporting our nurses and midwives, our ambos, our doctors and, through them, our patients.”

A seven-storey tower would be built on top of the medical service’s recently expanded emergency department in Clayton.

It would house five new operating theatres with 34 beds for pre-operation and post-operation beds, providing the capacity for 7500 additional surgeries a year. A new intensive care ward would house 28 beds for the south-east’s sickest patients.

Monash Medical Centre’s maternity ward would also be refurbished, making space for an additional 2400 births at the health service per year. The redevelopment would add six new birthing suites and up to 64 new maternity beds.

Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas acknowledged the pandemic had forced healthcare workers to go “above and beyond” to care for patients.

“Our government believes that one of the best ways that we can support our health workers is to continue to invest in more of them,” she said.

“I want to assure our healthcare workers that our government stands with them every step of the way.”

The Andrews government released new figures on Sunday that show there has been a net increase of 26,000 healthcare workers — or 32 per cent — since Labor was first elected in 2014.

Under the Liberal government between 2010 and 2014, the number of healthcare workers increased by 6000 — or 9 per cent.

Opposition leader Matthew Guy said Labor could not be trusted to upgrade the Monash Medical Centre, pointing to Andrews’ commitments for hospitals in Melton and Geelong before the last election that had not yet been built.

“The Labor Party can’t tell you how they’re going to pay for their promises,” Guy said.

“It’s my mission to fix the health system, ease the cost of living, and give our state a fresh start. We desperately need it.”

Shadow treasurer David Davis said the Monash Children’s Hospital, where the premier had made the announcement, was a “Liberal hospital”.

“When Daniel Andrews was health minister [from 2008-2010], he did not fund that hospital, he did not commence that hospital,” Davis said.

“It was me as health minister [from 2010-2014] and the Baillieu government and Napthine government that started the process.”

The Victorian Coalition on Sunday announced it would legislate caps on how much state governments could borrow, as part of its plan to bring the state’s finances back into the black.

Guy said the interest bill on Victoria’s debt alone was costing taxpayers $6 billion a year, enough to build six hospitals.

He also flagged tax cuts, saying he would have more to say about “taxation reduction” before November 26.

Andrews said his government had a plan to return the budget back to surplus.

“We’ve got a clear plan: that’s to build, invest, to keep our economy strong … but also build up our schools, our hospitals, our TAFEs, our public transport system, all of these things and return the budget back to surplus,” Andrews said.

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