Member for Bendigo Maree Edwards visits the ICU to announce the additional beds.
Two additional Intensive Care beds have been allocated to Bendigo Health to help with a growing demand for critical care in our region.
One of those beds is currently operational, taking the ICU’s capacity to seven beds. The second is expected to be operational early next year.
Member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards, said the initiative was important given the increase in the number of people being referred to the ICU.
“This is a great outcome for Bendigo Health and we’re really pleased that we’ve been able to partner with them to deliver these beds,” she said.
Bendigo Health Chief Operating Officer, David Rosaia, said an increase in heart attack patients arriving at the hospital since it became a 24/7 cath lab service contributed to the increased demand for ICU beds.
“It’s important for us now to have that capacity,” he said.
Increasing the ICU’s capacity also means that the more complex patients who require ICU intervention, trauma cases and even general medical patients – adult and paediatric – can be treated closer to home.
“Bendigo Health can [continue to] provide a great service to our region and our community,” Mr Rosaia said.
Bendigo Health ICU Director, Jason Fletcher, said the two additional beds will mean less patients are being transferred to Melbourne for treatment, allowing patients and their families to receive care and support closer to home.
The beds were funded as part of a $3.8 million commitment from the state government to Bendigo Health.