New children’s unit opened

SICK children and their families in the south eastern suburbs will benefit from a new $4.5 million fourbed paediatric intensive care unit opened on Tuesday.
The unit, at Southern Health’s Monash Medical Centre at Clayton, will provide local families with services that until now were available only at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Health Minister Bronwyn Pike opened the facility and said it would treat up to 400 sick children each year.
“The new beds at Monash will deliver substantial benefits to the community, ensuring that sick kids receive paediatric intensive care services in a setting close to their home,” she said.
“The unit provides an intensive care capability that maximises clinical safety and access to highlevel paediatric care.”
Construction has also started on a $10 million redevelopment of the Monash Medical Centre emergency department, due for completion at the end of 2006.
Ms Pike said the redevelopment would increase the capacity of emergency services with a new shortstay observation unit and additional treatment cubicles to be included in the work.