Monash Health was part of the Victorian Government’s latest Medical Equipment Replacement Program, or MERP, as its funding aims to upgrade hospitals’ vital medical imaging and surgical equipment.
Specifically for Monash Health, its branches will see upgrades to both its neurosurgical microscope and angiography system, supporting safer, more precise surgery capabilities.
The Minister for Health Infrastructure, Melissa Horne, visited the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre on Friday, 18 July, to announce the successful recipients in the latest round of MERP.
“This is an important program that delivers our world-class hospitals the latest medical equipment, giving more Victorians access to the very best care, close to home,” Horne said.
“This investment is also about backing our dedicated healthcare staff, ensuring they have cutting-edge equipment available when they need it, whether it is in the operating theatre or imaging to make a diagnosis.”
As part of the round, Monash Health, alongside the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, were among eight health services sharing $35 million for a total of 10 projects.
The cancer centre will upgrade its Diagnostic Computer Tomography Unit, a critical piece of equipment that can identify lung cancer in eligible, asymptomatic, high-risk patients.
The Royal Children’s Hospital will upgrade an ultrasonic aspirator to support young patients receiving liver transplants and epilepsy surgery.
Alfred Health will upgrade and install two major pieces of equipment, a wide bore MRI scanner with bariatric capability, which will provide faster scans to more patients.
They will also acquire a new stereotactic navigation system, which will support the work of the neurosurgery team when treating complex conditions such as brain cancer, epilepsy, and trauma injuries.
Other health services receiving funding from this round also include Austin Health for a PET/CT Unit, St Vincent’s Hospital for an Ear, Nose and Throat Surgical Navigation System, and the Royal Melbourne Hospital for a new CT scanner.
Grampians Health in the far wesr will receive funding for a new Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (PSECT-CT) unit, which will assist cardiac and oncology pateitns with treatment, boosting nuclear medicine in the region.
This year’s Victorian Budget 2025/26 has invested an additional $52.3 million in MERP to fund the next round of grants, bringing the government’s total investment into the project to $367.3 million over the past decade.
