HEALTHSCOPE has wrapped up construction on the new $230 million Gold Coast Private, paving the way for $25 million of new equipment to be installed ahead of its March opening.
State-of-the-art medical equipment and furniture from around the world is being shipped to the Gold Coast for the new facility, which is co-located with the Gold Coast University Hospital in the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct.
The new hospital will replace Allamanda Private, also operated by Healthscope, when it opens on March 12 and initially feature 284 beds and 13 theatres with capacity to expand to 400 beds and 21 theatres in-line with patient demand.
Ramsay Health Care, which operates Pindara Private Hospital on the Coast, is taking over the lease at Allamanda after securing a 21-year deal at $2.4 million a year.
The construction completion at Gold Coast Private marks the end of a two-year building program by Watpac and project managers RCP, with the facility the first new private hospital to open on the Gold Coast in more than two decades.
"With construction now finalised, our focus has turned to completing the final fit-out, which is a major task in itself," says Gold Coast Private general manager David Harper.
"All medical equipment will be either brand new, or less than 12 months old, as a number of high-tech pieces arrived early and have been used in surgeries at Allamanda Private ahead of the new hospital opening.
"These include a $3 million next generation robotic system, which has been optimising a number of procedures in gynaecology, urology, thoracic, cardiac and general surgery with much success - and is the only one of its kind available on the Gold Coast."
Harper says the fit-out program will also include an on-site cafe, pharmacy and specialist suites.
Gold Coast Private is expected to employ more than 850 staff, providing a jobs boost of more than 80 compared with current staffing numbers at Allamanda Private.
"Gold Coast Private will offer expanded services and beds compared with our current offering at Allamanda from the get-go to meet the high demand from patients for high quality private healthcare," says Harper.
"One of the most notable additions to the new hospital is a maternity unit and special care nursery, catering to increased demand for private maternity services as the Gold Coast's population continues its rapid growth.
"We will also be offering expanded paediatric, oncology, rehabilitation, intensive care, cardiac, renal, and 24 hour emergency care services, among all the services already offered at Allamanda."
Gold Coast Private will feature 11 integrated operating theatres, 12 ICU beds, a hybrid theatre and cardiac catheterisation laboratory.
The new maternity ward will include 25 antenatal and postnatal beds, five birthing suites fitted with K2 foetal monitoring systems and nine special-care cots. All the rooms will be private with ensuites, recliners and either a double bed or sofa bed for partners to stay overnight.
Healthscope has predicted the hospital will host more than 28,000 admissions in its first year and perform more than 15,000 operations.
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