Getting the set of keys to a new home is always exciting.
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Bendigo Health chairman Bob Cameron’s newest set of keys come in the form of a swipe card that accesses the new Bendigo hospital.
The Victorian government officially handed over the city’s new hospital to Bendigo Health on Friday.
Mr Cameron was joined by Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan and Exemplar Health chief executive Michele Morrison for the handover.
Taking over the new facility made next week’s task of transferring patients from the old hospital to the new one all the more real for Mr Cameron.
“There's been a lot of planning but it now feels very real and very close,” he said.
There's been a lot of planning but it now feels very real and very close.
- Bob Cameron
“It’s not unusual for patients to move. Patients move around Victoria all the time. The unusual thing about moving a hospital is that you're moving a lot of patients on the same day.”
Ms Allan said after more than 10 years since committing to the initial plans for the hospital it was incredibly exciting to see it finalised.
“It's going to absolutely make a big difference for the Bendigo community but also for the region,” she said.
“It means people from communities like Swan Hill and Kerang won't have to travel as far to get a (world-class) level of care.
“I am incredibly proud to have been involved in pushing for this to happen. It took a lot of work behind the scenes but we knew once you start the planning process, you have to finish the building process. It was a big commitment to follow.”
Ms Allan praised the huge amount of work and planning that Bendigo Health staff members had put in ahead of next week’s move.
“A huge credit should go to the Bendigo Health and Exemplar Health teams who have meticulously planned this move,” she said.
“It shouldn't be underestimated how challenging it is to, in effect, have two hospitals operating at the same time as the patients are moved across.
“From speaking with staff in the hospital, they have done a lot of work around the clock in preparing for this. It is commitment over and above their regular working hours so that the move goes as smoothly as possible.”