From the Office of the Minister for Health & Aged Care

Friday 28 November 1997

KNOWLES OPENS THE ST JOHN OF GOD PATHOLOGY LABORATORY AND AMBULANCE STATION AT STAWELL DISTRICT HOSPITAL

Stawell District Hospital’s new pathology laboratory and ambulance centre were examples of a regional hospital upgrading its facilities, and further evidence of support for self-sufficiency in the region, Victorian Health Minister, and Member for Ballarat Province, Mr Rob Knowles, said today.

Opening the new facilities, Mr Knowles said they were “another positive example of the commitment of the Stawell District Hospital’s Board of Management to work in collaboration to develop and further improve health services in rural Victoria.

“This will assist in attracting highly qualified health professionals to work in these hospitals, and make them better able to continue to deliver high quality services into the 21st century,” he said.

“St John of God has operated the pathology service at Stawell District Hospital since 1995, and this pathology facility is an excellent example of the public and private sector working together to improve infrastructure in the sub-region.

“The recently completed relocation of the pathology service was undertaken as a joint venture by the hospital and St John’s, at a cost of $26,000, to provide better access for users of the service.

“They converted the former nursing home day room to a pathology laboratory and I commend the high standard of this work, undertaken by the hospital’s maintenance staff with the assistance of local tradesmen.

“Facilities such as this bring significant expertise to rural communities and support medical professionals working in communities beyond the hospital.

“It is an example of the kind of cooperation between government and non-government health care systems where both work together for their mutual benefit and the benefit of the community.”

Mr Knowles said the co-location of ambulance facilities with hospitals was an exciting new development statewide.

“The Ambulance Service Victoria Western Region has made a strategic decision to co-locate a number of ambulance services within the region with public hospitals, and the Stawell move is only the second example of such an initiative in Victoria.

“Similar ambulance co-location arrangements are currently being negotiated with Wimmera Health Care Group,” he said.

Mr Knowles said the professional isolation of ambulance officers was one of the major limitations to the further development of pre-hospital care for patients. Locating ambulance officers on site with a range of other health care workers was a key step toward the integration of ambulance and acute health services, and an effective use of public money to the benefit of this regional area, he said.

“Ambulance facilities at Stawell and Ararat service the needs of the local population, the broader needs of the Grampians tourist area, and the demands imposed by the busy Western Highway between Melbourne and Adelaide.

“The new facility is centrally located in the Syme Wing, close to the Accident and Emergency Department, and we are now seeing closer relationships developing between all aspects of the hospital and the allied health service facilities, both within the Stawell community and the surrounding areas.

“The overriding aim of government policy is to ensure that high quality efficient services are accessible to all Victorians .

“This recognises the importance of hospital care close to home and so seeks to minimise the need for rural people to have to travel to Melbourne for treatment,” Mr Knowles said.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

Serena WILLIAMSPremier’s Media Unit(03) 9651 5799

Gerry MORRISONDHS Media Unit(03) 9616 7701

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