Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas visited Grampians Health today to celebrate the topping out of the Ballarat Base Hospital’s newest building which will house support services including a state-of-the-art pharmacy, pathology services and an Education and Learning Centre.

CEO Dale Fraser said he was pleased to celebrate this significant milestone in Ballarat’s biggest infrastructure project - the Ballarat Base Hospital Redevelopment - with the completion of the concrete structure of the first building part of the project.

“This milestone signifies progress while also reflecting our commitment to future proofing our healthcare services into the future,” Mr Fraser said.

Chief Redevelopment & Infrastructure Officer Veronica Furnier-Tosco said works on the hospital’s newest building would now shift to fitting out all levels including the façade.

“It’s an exciting time in the upgrade of our hospital with the new six-storey building on Drummond Street expected to be completed at the end of this year and main tower works set to commence this year too,” Ms Furnier-Tosco said.

Construction of the main tower works is expected to be completed in 2027 and will feature a new ground-floor emergency department, a state-of-the-art theatre suite and an extra 100 inpatient and short-stay beds.

Once completed, the Ballarat Base Hospital will have the capacity to treat at least 18,000 more emergency patients and an extra 14,500 inpatients.