TORQUAY is on track to get its first hospital, with funds committed to the project in last week\u2019s 2021-22 State Budget.<\/p>\n
The Torquay Community Hospital – originally pledged ahead of the 2018 state election – will be funded as part of an overall $555.5 million package for 10 hospitals.<\/p>\n
It will be much larger than the existing Torquay Community Health Centre, but the site for the hospital has not yet been chosen.<\/p>\n
South Barwon Labor MP Darren Cheeseman said he was very pleased to see money in the budget for the 10 hospitals, including the Torquay Community Hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cSubject to building approvals, Torquay Community Hospital will open in 2024, which will enable more people to manage their everyday health needs closer to home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The budget papers estimate a completion date in the fourth quarter of 2024-25 for the 10 hospitals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to further announcements about land acquisition in due course, but it\u2019s a big investment,\u201d Mr Cheeseman said. \u201cI think these facilities across the state will very much help support our growth corridors; they\u2019re all located in those areas that are experiencing significant population growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking outside the Torquay Community Health Centre on the Surf Coast Highway earlier this week, Mr Cheeseman said that facility was built in the 1970s.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to remember the population was a lot smaller then. The population here has grown a lot, Armstrong Creek didn\u2019t exist, and we\u2019ve got a lot of additional people that are going to be moving into this area in the coming few decades, and having these kind of hubs will enable people to not have to travel into Geelong to get access to services.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barwon Health chief executive officer Frances Diver said it was important the hospital in Torquay responded to the community\u2019s needs, including specialist services.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re engaging with the community to work out what are the right services to give to this community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will be things like child and family services, caring for healthy ageing with chronic and complex conditions, a big expansion of mental health services – so this is a fantastic opportunity for us to locate a whole lot of services down here that better respond to the community\u2019s needs, and great for people to get care closer to home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mike Atkinson is one of 15 people appointed to the Community Consultation Committee for the Torquay Community Hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to see something I can trust and rely on – if I need something on a Sunday night, I can get it on a Sunday night, not on Tuesday morning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been hanging around Torquay since 1962 and this is just a small service here now and it\u2019s turning into one of the biggest regions in the state so the hospital has to catch up, and stay there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elsewhere on the Surf Coast, the 2021-22 budget also includes funding for upgrades to Aireys Inlet Primary School as part of a $94 million package to upgrade 17 schools across regional Victoria.<\/p>\n
Broader budget spending includes $7.1 billion on health, $3.8 billion on mental health, and $1.6 billion in new schools, maintenance and upgrades with another $716 million in school programs and support for the teaching workforce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TORQUAY is on track to get its first hospital, with funds committed to the project in last week\u2019s 2021-22 State Budget. The Torquay Community Hospital – originally pledged ahead of the 2018 state election – will be funded as part of an overall $555.5 million package for 10 hospitals. It will be much larger than […]<\/p>\n