The expansion of Canberra Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is underway and on track to be completed by the end of this year.
ACT Senator, Zed Seselja said the project would increase the number of ICU beds to 39 to boost critical care capacity while the design and construction of the Canberra Hospital Expansion was underway.
“With Canberra Hospital ICU treating 2,200 patients annually, the eight additional beds at Canberra Hospital ICU will support greater access to critical care facilities for the growing population,” Senator Seselja said.
He said the Commonwealth Government had allocated $13.5 million to the ICU expansion.
ACT Minister for Health, Rachel Stephen-Smith said additional ICU beds would provide patients from Canberra and the surrounding region with greater access to lifesaving care and acute medical treatment.
“A bigger ICU at the Canberra Hospital will ensure our health system is better equipped to meet the increasing demand for intensive care treatment,” Ms Stephen-Smith said
“Additional healthcare workers will be recruited to staff the expanded ICU, providing 24-hour care to some of the most critical patients at Canberra Hospital,” she said.
Ms Stephen-Smith said that across the Canberra Hospital campus, there were more than 45 projects underway to improve facilities and amenities.
“This includes delivering the Canberra Hospital Expansion, the new emergency, surgical and critical healthcare facility which will include 60 ICU beds,” the Minister said.
“This project has been carefully designed so that construction does not cause disruption to the current operations of the ICU,” she said.
