The federal government is stumping up the funds to get the doors open to the Northern Heart Centre.
The federal government has announced it will invest $120 million to establish a specialist cardiac centre in Launceston.
The funding will be used to establish the Northern Heart Centre, which is a key component of the Launceston General Hospital master plan that has been developed jointly between the commonwealth and state governments.
The Northern Heart Centre will include a new coronary care unit with 16 inpatient cardiac ward beds, and seven coronary care unit beds, which will be co-located with the intensive care unit, and two cardiac catheterisation labs with dedicated recovery and holding bays that will allow patients requiring procedures to bypass the emergency department.
The centre will also have dedicated diagnostic testing for echocardiography and outpatient services, with five echocardiography testing rooms, one exercise testing room and six outpatient consultation rooms; and direct access to the ICU, emergency department and medical imaging.
The Northern Heart Centre will also help to address workforce shortages in Tasmania, by attracting and retaining critically needed clinicians to the state, and the north of Tasmania, in particular.
Federal health minister Mark Butler people in Launceston and right across northern Tasmania would benefit from the new centre.
“The Northern Heart Centre will mean Tasmanians with heart disease will get the best possible care, while also helping to free up beds at the Launceston General Hospital and take pressure off its emergency department,” he said.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese said his government was dedicated to ensuring all Australians have access to quality healthcare, no matter their postcode.
“We know cardiovascular disease is the number one killer right around the nation, impacting the lives of so many Australians and their families,” he said.
“Chest pain is one of the most frequent presentations to the emergency departments in northwest Tasmania. This investment will support the delivery of critical health facilities that will serve the people of Launceston and surrounding communities.”
The Northern Heart Centre is expected to be completed in 2029.