More than 70 patients were transferred from Allamanda to the new Gold Coast Private Hospital at the weekend (March 12), signifying the opening of the first acute private hospital to be built on the Gold Coast in more than 20 years.
The coordinated operation finished ahead of schedule after more than 300 staff and support crew took just seven hours to move 73 patients with the help of 12 double stretcher ambulances.
Gold Coast Private Hospital general manager David Harper said the move was the culmination of more than three years of planning.
“There are a number of people who have lived and breathed this project for many years and to see it finally come to fruition with the opening of the new hospital has been incredibly satisfying,” he said.
“The move was made possible by the efforts of many, and we are extremely grateful to our staff, patients and Queensland Ambulance, Police and Fire and Emergency Services for their cooperation and support.”
During the move, the new hospital’s Emergency Care Centre took its first emergency case at 9am when 43-year-old Greg Kennedy walked in with a severed finger.
Mr Kennedy also became the first person to undergo surgery at the new facility where his finger was saved by orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Lochlin Brown. He is expected the make a full recovery.
Another milestone was reached on Monday when a beautiful baby boy took out the coveted title of the first baby to be born in the new maternity ward.
Arriving at 7.44am, the bundle of joy won by a narrow margin, with a second baby, a little girl, born at the hospital less than 1.5 hours later at 9.10am.
Both babies were delivered by Gold Coast Private obstetrician Dr Tina Fleming of Grace Private.
The hospital opened with 284 beds and 13 theatres and will ultimately expand to 400 beds and 20 theatres in line with demand.
Its state-of-the-art maternity ward has five birth suites fitted with K2 foetal monitoring systems, 25 private antenatal and postnatal rooms, most with double beds for partners staying overnight, and a special care nursery that caters for babies 32 weeks and above.
The new facility is co-located with the Gold Coast University Hospital and forms a major part of the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct.
Mr Harper said Healthscope had invested $230 million into the hospital to ensure the people of the Gold Coast and surrounding regions had access to a world-class private healthcare facility.
“Our co-location with the public hospital and position in the Health and Knowledge Precinct has great benefits for our hospital, patients, staff and doctors,” he said.
“Healthscope recognises that co-locations are the way of the future and that the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct has the potential to become the leading healthcare, education and research precinct in Australia.
“No other city in the country boasts a location that provides direct collaborative linkages to stimulate knowledge, information and technology sharing between universities, hospitals and research organisations.
“The Gold Coast is leading the way in creating a culture of sharing and collaboration in an effort to better service the community and Healthscope is proud to be part of this new-age approach.”
The hospital includes a 24-hour Emergency Care Centre, ICU and special care nursery and provides services including cardiac, rehabilitation, oncology, renal and paediatrics. It is supported by onsite providers of imaging, pathology and pharmacy.
