Premier Jacinta Allan visited Bendigo Health this week to launch a Public Fertility Service for the Loddon Mallee region.
Free fertility services, including IVF, will now be available closer to home for Loddon Mallee residents.
Bendigo Health, working in partnership with the Royal Women’s Hospital, hopes to see up to 150 women through the fertility clinic over the next 12 months.
To access the service, a referral from a GP and/or specialist will be required.
“We are really proud of the built infrastructure of this facility, and it’s what happens inside that matters. This is another terrific example of how we can continue to provide that great quality healthcare,” Ms Allan said.
“It’s about recognising that there is an additional cost and an additional stress that comes with having to travel to Melbourne for the specialist services.”
A number of services will be provided locally to deliver fertility treatments including blood tests, ultrasounds and medications.
Bendigo Health Clinical Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Nicola Yuen said the majority of the care can be managed locally.
“This is a really exciting journey that we have been on for the last couple of years, and this is a huge step forward for the women of the Bendigo Health catchment area,” Ms Yuen said.
“We are very much looking forward to the first baby being born here.”
For more information, visit our public fertility care page here.