News: Sunshine Coast University Hospital
Ramsay Health Care announced as successful bidder for Private Hospital on the Sunshine Coast University Hospital site
Queensland Health has announced that Ramsay Health Care has been successful in its bid to build and operate a private hospital collocated on the campus with the future Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
The private hospital facility, to be opened in late 2013, will have the capacity to treat up to 200 patients and will offer a wide range of medical and surgical services including orthopaedics, urology, ear nose and throat, general surgery, oncology and day chemotherapy.
A key part of the deal is that the new private hospital will provide a significant range and volume of services to public patients through a service purchase arrangement with Queensland Health, whilst the Sunshine Coast University Hospital itself is being built and commissioned. The volume of public patient services will be a major component of the private hospital over this time period. This arrangement is important in accelerating service provision to the Sunshine Coast community from late 2013 in advance of the opening of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
Ramsay Health Care is Australia's largest private hospital operator and has extensive experience providing services to public patients through privately operated public hospitals or contracting through private hospitals.
Ramsay's Managing Director, Christopher Rex, said the Company was very pleased to have been successful in its bid and looks forward to working in partnership with the Queensland Government on this project.
"This is a very exciting opportunity for Ramsay to develop a private hospital collocated with the Sunshine Coast University Hospital. Our substantial experience in collocation models, provision of services to public patients and local service delivery on the Sunshine Coast provides a unique base for a long-term successful relationship with the Sunshine Coast University Hospital and Queensland Health," Mr Rex said.
Building of the new private hospital will commence later this year. Ramsay's design-build team comprises construction firm John Holland and architects Phillips Smith Conwell, with Akalan Projects as Project Manager. All firms have significant experience in major hospital developments and have worked extensively with Ramsay Health Care.
The multistorey private hospital will have six state-of-the-art operating theatres, a procedural suite and day surgery centre and will offer a comprehensive range of diagnostic services including pathology and radiology. A 1,000 square metre medical consulting suite complex will also be built on the campus which Ramsay Health Care believes will attract more specialists to the area.
"This hospital will serve one of the fastest growing regions in Australia and will deliver great benefits to the local economy, bringing jobs and improved healthcare services to the region and we are delighted to be part of it," Mr Rex said.
"We believe that together with Queensland Health, we can deliver the first component of a world class tertiary health care campus for the Sunshine Coast community."
