Mental health, palliative care and clinical services at Werribee Mercy Hospital will benefit from an 8.1 per cent increase in state government funding.
The state government last week announced $309 million for Mercy Health, which runs Werribee Mercy and the Mercy Hospital for Women, to cover the 2017-18 financial year.
Werribee MP Tim Pallas said this year’s funding allocation for Mercy Health was up 8.1 per cent on the previous year.
“We know our dedicated doctors and nurses do a remarkable job at Mercy Health,” Mr Pallas said.
“This record boost gives them the support they need to keep saving lives and keep people in Wyndham healthy.”
Mercy Health chief executive of health services, Linda Mellors, welcomed the increase.
Adjunct Professor Mellors said Mercy Health was still working through the budget information received last week and as yet could not confirm how much of that $309 million would go to Werribee Mercy.
“Mercy Health has received welcome funding increases for community mental health and community palliative-care services,” she said.
“The expanded inpatient mental health facility at Werribee Mercy Hospital is nearing completion and will open in stages during the coming months.”
Werribee Mercy is part-way through an $85-million state government-funded hospital upgrade that will include eight critical-care beds, 56 inpatient beds and six operating theatres over four storeys. The hospital will be six storeys high when complete in mid-2018.
“Wyndham remains one of the fastest growing municipalities in Australia … Mercy Health is committed to working collaboratively with the state government to continue to meet the health needs of the growing Wyndham community.”
