CONSTRUCTION of the new Bendigo Hospital is progressing on schedule, with the structure to be finished before Christmas.
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Workers have started pouring the slab for the seventh floor, with the lower floors being transformed by the installation of walls and services.
More than 61,800 square meters of concrete have been poured so far and there is just over 10 per cent left to go in the overall structure.
The $670 million project is the largest regional hospital development in Victoria's history.
A spokesman for Exemplar Health said the west building was almost complete and around one and a half floors remain on the east building.
“With scaffolding being removed from the internal street, the foyer area of the new hospital with its angular internal flyovers between upper floors is now obvious,” the spokesman said.
“In Mercy St you can see through to Drought St.
“On the exterior the installation of the 1200 precast façade panels is well underway with 219 already in place.
“Unlike a lot of the work now underway inside the hospital this is clearly visible to passers-by.”
Within the structure the scaffolding has been stripped to up to level 2.
On the ground floor the internal corridors and rooms in the future emergency department are increasingly evident.
The first plasterboard has also been installed.
From Mercy St the specially constructed steel columns that support the level three slab has been installed.
A childcare centre in Yarrington House has been completed and was opened last Wednesday.
It was built to accommodate 104 children, with places filling fast.
This is the second completed building of the Bendigo Hospital Project.
The new hospital is scheduled to be operational by 2016.
Once completed it will include 372 beds and 10 operating theatres, an integrated cancer centre, mental health centre and helipad connected by bridge to link to the main hospital.
It will provide 75 mental health beds, including a 35-bed adult psychiatric unit, 20-bed aged psychiatric unit and 20-bed secure extended care unit.
Health Minister David Davis told the Bendigo Advertiser he was pleased with the progress at the site.
“It’s a stunning hospital which will have a huge regional role as well as the city of Bendigo,” Mr Davis said.
“It’s going to be a very important hospital, a very important health service, (and) a very important research and training hub as well.”
Construction of the new hospital started in 2013.