STAWELL Regional Health will continue to maintain its compliance with quality and safety standards after a funding injection from the Victorian Government.
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Stawell Regional Health was one of 76 health services that will share $160 million in funding to ensure hospitals across the state can continue doing what they do best - saving lives.
Stawell Regional Health will receive $388,515 for new sterilising and storage equipment; and $525,500 for fire services infrastructure upgrade to the existing electric and diesel pumps at the Stawell District Hospital from the Regional Health Infrastructure Fund (RHIF).
Theatre's nurse unit manager Sue Campigli said part of the funds are to be used on upgrading the sterilising and storage system for the endoscopy service.
"This new equipment will improve the efficiency of endoscopy service, allowing us to increase the number of gastroscopies and colonoscopies we can do in a day," she said.
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"We are also investing in new surgical instruments for our gynaecology, ENT and eye surgery services."
Health service chief executive Kate Pryde said it was important to have state of the art equipment to attract surgeons and proceduralists into the rural areas.
"This will ensure our community have access to select surgical services close to home," she said.
"Good equipment attracts surgeons because they can use instruments and surgical systems that they are used to, ensuring they can deliver a high level of surgery to their patients.
SRH already has one of the few rural/regional endoscopy units outside of Ballarat that provides the surgeons with a system of computer generated imagery that is stored automatically into patient files.
"Having systems and equipment that supports surgeons in their role is an important factor in attracting top surgeons. This grant will support us to further improve our endoscopy service."
Ms Pryde said ageing infrastructure is one of the biggest challenges that rural health care services face.
"Like all business we are required to meet all fire and safety standards," she said.
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"Without grants such as this, we need to potentially redirect funds that could have been spent of equipment to care for our patients and support our workforce."
Maintenance manager Garrie Martin said the funding would provide for the upgrade of the existing electric and diesel pumps and replacement of fire detection and communication system.
Ms Pryde thanked the SRH teams who prepared the funding applications.
"It takes a lot of work to pull grant applications together, this money isn't just handed over - you have to build a case and do a lot of ground work in providing assurance that the request is considered favourably," she said.
"Receiving grants such as these ensure that the health service is sustained into the future and able to provide safe quality services to our community."
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