Wednesday, 12 November 2025

 Luba GRIGOROVITCH (Kororoit) (19:22): (1398) The action I seek from the Minister for Health is to provide an update on the progress of our transition to the new Footscray Hospital and the benefits that this will bring to our wider community in the west. This new hospital is not just an upgrade, it is a transformation of health care for families across Melbourne’s west. It is a $1.5 billion investment. Once fully operational it will have more than 500 beds, which is an increase of 200 beds, enabling treatment for approximately 15,000 additional patients and supporting an extra 20,000 ‍emergency department presentations every year. For communities in the west that means shorter waits, expanded services and care closer to home.

Preparations for opening are already underway on an unprecedented scale: 4500 staff are undertaking 22,000 hours of training, there are 200 specialised clinicians and a coordinated process will transfer over 4000 pieces of clinical and operational equipment. The hospital includes a 12-storey main building, four additional building precincts and 16 operating theatres across a site the size of nine MCGs. It will also house Victoria’s first – and I am very proud of this – fully funded public pathology service, enabling faster, fairer diagnostic care for patients across the Western Health network. I know that all of my western suburbs colleagues are incredibly thrilled about Footscray Hospital. This hospital is an absolute game changer for Melbourne’s west, delivering world-class care, local jobs and services for our growing community that desperately needs them.