$169 million in funding to upgrade equipment and infrastructure in Victoria’s hospitals

Victorians will benefit from better access to modern healthcare, with health services across the state receiving medical equipment and infrastructure funding.

Upgrading medical equipment

21 health services will share in $87 million through the latest round of the Medical Equipment Replacement Program (MERP).

Now worth $402 million overall, the program helps hospitals upgrade and replace critical medical equipment, making it easier for patients to access services such as diagnostic and treatment services closer to home.

The latest funding will support the purchase of new and replacement equipment such as MRI machines, CT scanners, digital X-ray units, microscopes, fluoroscopy units and SPECT-CT gamma cameras. These upgrades will help health services provide faster diagnoses, safer procedures and better patient care.

Successful projects that will be delivered via the latest rounds include upgrades to the MRI system at Shepparton Hospital, a new digital X ray system for Barwon Health and the replacement of critical heart imaging equipment to support diagnostic procedures at St Vincent’s Hospital.

To see the full list of recipients and to learn more, visit the Medical Equipment Replacement Program page.

Investing in infrastructure

Health services across Victoria are also set to benefit from upgraded infrastructure, with 25 metropolitan and regional health services sharing in $81.75 million through the latest rounds of the Engineering Infrastructure Replacement Program (EIRP).

Worth $386 million overall, the EIRP helps hospitals replace and upgrade essential infrastructure such as generators, chillers, fire detection and alarm systems, and water mains. These behind-the-scenes upgrades play a vital role in keeping hospitals running safely and reliably.

As part of this round’s funding, Mercy Health will undertake a wider nurse call system upgrade across its facilities, important electrical improvements will be made at Echuca Regional Health and a project at Mildura Base Hospital will support in modernising cooling systems- enhancing patient and staff safety during surgical procedures.

To see the full list of recipients and to learn more, visit the Engineering Infrastructure Replacement Program page.

Better equipment, better hospitals

Since launching in 2015, the MERP & EIRP have supported over 700 projects across Victoria and provided a combined $789 million in funding.

These programs aim to improve safety, efficiency and reliability of our public hospitals, reducing the risk to patients, healthcare workers and clinical service availability.

Projects funded through these programs are administered by the Victorian Infrastructure Development Authority (VIDA) Health and delivered by the health service provider.