In one of his first public appearances since Labor’s win in the recent state election, Premier Daniel Andrews donned his hard hat to thank workers on the new Footscray Hospital site for their work and receive an update on the project.
He joined Footscray MP Katie Hall and Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas for the visit on Tuesday, November 29.
Delivered via a $1.5 billion commitment through the state government’s Victoria’s Big Build initiative and located on the corner of Ballarat Road and Geelong Road, the Western Health hospital would include about 200 beds, with the ability to about 15,000 patients and see 20,000 people at the emergency department each year.
Ms Hall said the project was a “once-in-a-generation investment for Footscray”.
“Our hardworking healthcare workers deserve world-class modern facilities to do what they do best – keep local families healthy and save lives,” she said.
“The progress made on the project since construction got underway last year is phenomenal.
“There’s 600 workers on site now, building a huge new hospital for the west.”
The project recently surpassed another milestone, installing eight 13-metre-high V-columns supporting a load of about 6000 tonnes, with each weighing more than 90 tonnes.
The hospital is set to be open to the public in 2025.
Details: www.vhba.vic.gov.au/health/hospitals/new-footscray-hospital
