OPINION – ALI CUPPER
It has been authorised to become a streaming hospital for COVID-19.
It means seriously ill COVID-19 patients who would ordinarily be sent to Bendigo or Melbourne for treatment may be able to remain here to receive ongoing care.
It’s a significant responsibility for the hospital to take on, but one I have every confidence Terry Welch and his team can run with success.
A streaming hospital is a hospital with a dedicated COVID-19 ward, where certain air-flow and air-quality requirements must be met.
These works will mean that the air in and around patients who are diagnosed with COVID-19 will be fully exchanged with fresh air more frequently.
Monitors will also ensure that air does not flow between the wards where COVID-19 patients are being treated and the other parts of the hospital.
The hospital recently received $450,000 in State Government funding to help make this happen.
To me, this demonstrates the growing confidence our community, indeed the state, has in the team at the Base. I too am awestruck at how far we have come since our hospital was returned to public management.
Having COVID-19 patients treated in their home town is a comfort that not every regional centre has.
And having that option for safe and effective ongoing treatment locally is a blessing and a testament to the capability of hospital management and staff.
These changes mark the latest improvements being made to improve patient outcomes in our region more broadly.
It’s no secret that our state’s health system is under pressure now, and the provision of care locally is helping ease that strain.
While it’s heartening to see the hospital expanding its capabilities and taking on new challenges, ultimately what we need is a modern, state-of-the-art facility.
That’s what I will continue to fight for.
