The Victorian Government’s Medical Equipment Replacement Program will provide $87 million for upgrades at 21 health services and facilities, including an MRI upgrade at Goulburn Valley Health.
GV Health has confirmed its existing MRI system will be replaced by the latest, most contemporary system.
It is expected to be operational around the middle of 2027.
The new system will facilitate:
• Fewer breath-holds to help patients breathe easier during scans.
• Faster scans, reducing physical discomfort, anxiety and stiffness.
• Higher diagnostic accuracy, which will decrease motion issues caused by involuntary movement and breathing shifts, reducing the need for rescans.
• Enhanced comfort and ergonomics, including lightweight coils and ultra-high-density architecture, which rest lightly on the body, a table that can be lowered further to better accommodate patients with mobility challenges and reduced noise.
• Non-contrast imaging for angiography and organ evaluation.
• Higher resolution detail for sharper diagnostics on complex neurological, musculoskeletal and cardiac conditions.
GV Health chief medical imaging technologist Stavros Dodos said the upgrade was about much more than replacing equipment.
“It will provide a significantly better experience for patients while giving our clinicians access to leading-edge imaging technology,” Mr Dodos said.
“Patients will benefit from faster scans, improved comfort and clearer diagnostic images, helping us support better outcomes for patients across the Goulburn Valley and beyond."
Other big-ticket upgrades to be funded through the Medical Equipment Replacement Program include a replacement digital X-ray system at Barwon Health’s McKellar Centre and replacement heart imaging equipment at St Vincent’s Hospital to support lifesaving procedures.
The amount of funding allocated to GV Health for its MRI upgrade has not been disclosed.
Another 25 health services will get a share the Engineering Infrastructure Replacement Program’s $82 million funding to replace essential infrastructure, including electrical upgrades at Echuca Regional Health to maintain reliable power for essential care.
“Better equipment can mean faster care closer to home,” Victorian Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said.
“These upgrades will make a real difference in hospitals across Victoria.”
Since 2015, the two programs have delivered more than 700 projects across Victoria with an investment of more than $402 million for medical equipment and $386 million for engineering infrastructure.
Both are administered by the Victorian Health Building Authority.
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