by Keith Anderson
A brake has been put on the timing of completion of a new West Gippsland Hospital with no funding in the state government's 2024-2025 budget to kick start construction.
West Gippsland Healthcare Group chief executive officer Dan Weeks said the previously announced timeline that the building would be completed in 2028, and staff and patients would be in the new hospital in 2029, was "in serious jeopardy."
Without money to start construction during the next year he didn't believe the target date could be met although he has no doubts the new hospital proposed on a greenfield site at Drouin East will be eventually realised.

The Labor Party's commitment to a new hospital and the timeframe for its construction and opening was announced by then Premier Daniel Andrews in October 2022 during the last state election campaign, joining the Liberal Nationals Coalition's plans for the hospital and an associated aged care facility if it was elected to government.
At a media announcement at a private residence in Warragul Mr Andrews said:-
"This has been properly costed, planned and funded - further design work would begin next year (2023) construction will begin in 2024, it will be completed by 2028, patients and staff would move into that brand new hospital in 2029".
Liberal Member for Narracan Wayne Farnham had a similar view as Mr Weeks following the budget last week and said the lack of new funds for the project during the next year would delay the project significantly.
The only money is what is remaining from the current financial year, which is $115 million to be shared among four hospital projects for planning and, according to budget papers tabled in parliament last Tuesday, is not due to be fully spent until the second quarter of the 2026-2027 financial year, he said.
Mr Farnham said he was "extremely disappointed" that the timeframe the government took to the election won't be delivered.
And he also was critical of a lack of community engagement about where things now stand.
Government Member for Eastern Victoria and a minister for three portfolios Harriet Shing rejected criticism of progress on the project stating planning would be completed in September and followed by "procurement processes" - calling of tenders and awarding of contracts - adding that "enabling and pre-construction works" on the site would be underway before the end of this calendar year.
But last Wednesday in a phone interview with The Gazette Ms Shing, who was with Mr Andrews at the 2022 announcement of the government's commitment to the new hospital, did not directly answer whether the timeline previously announced would be met despite being asked several times.
In a media release she issued after the budget was presented to parliament and headed "Helping Families in Eastern Victoria, Ms Shing made no mention of the West Gippsland Hospital.
The only reference to new hospital capital developments by the government in Eastern Victoria was a $44 million allocation to Latrobe Regional Hospital to further expand with 44 extra inpatient beds, 14 medical and surgical beds, a new emergency department resuscitation bay and a medical imaging pathology unit.