Official blessing and opening of $52m Mercy Centre

A new $52M Mercy centre will officially its doors in Townsville this week, boasting four additional digital operating theatres and state-of-the-art day surgery facilities which are set to bring cutting edge technology and industry-leading healthcare closer to home for communities across North Queensland.

The Mater Private Hospital Townsville Mercy Centre will be unveiled as the first stage of the hospital’s $100M 10 Year Master Plan, promising to enhance healthcare services for the region and give North Queensland residents the opportunity to receive the very best medical treatment and care closer to their homes and families.

The Master Plan will follow the Specialist Mercy Centre with the development of a $9M maternity and neonatal unit, a $19M project to create a one-stop medical hub for end-to-end treatment with specialist doctors, and a $20M investment into a new six-level carpark to enable more accessible parking at the Pimlico campus.

The Mercy Centre received a contribution of $10.1M from the Federal Government under the Health and Hospitals Fund Regional Priority Initiative and the Federal Government has also provided $9M in funding through the Community Health and Hospitals Program towards the new maternity and neonatal unit. 

The new centre has also welcomed an economic boost to the city having created more than 100 jobs and engaging local contractors awarded by CPB Contractors throughout construction. The centre will now welcome doctors from across North Queensland set to conduct up to 10,000 operations each year at the new site, accompanied on-site by Queensland XRay to provide a centralised location for a wider range of healthcare services.

Mater Health Regional Director, North and Central Queensland Gerard Wyvill said the Specialist Mercy Centre intends to meet unmet needs across the Townsville region and beyond.

“Grounded by our longstanding presence here in Townsville from supporting the community for 75 years, the Mercy Centre will provide our expert clinical teams with the latest technology and resources in healthcare to enhance the services and value based health care we provide,” Mr Wyvill said.

“The new development provides us with an exciting new space equipped with leading facilities to bring the very best medical treatment in the state and indeed, across Australia to a more localised, central area for people right across North Queensland.”

“We are confident this new centre will mean significant benefits for the community and will serve as an exciting step forward for Townsville leading the way in the delivery of contemporary healthcare.”

As one of Townsville’s largest private employers with more than 950 staff, Mater Private Hospital Townsville will open the new medical centre off the back of joining forces with Mater hospitals and services right across Queensland to form the state’s largest Catholic not-for-profit healthcare provider.

Mater CEO Dr Peter Steer said the Specialist Mercy Centre comes off the back of a long-term vision from Mater board members.

“This new state-of-the-art facility represents the historic link between Mater’s longstanding heritage in Queensland communities and a roadmap for the future.”

“Celebrating 75 years since the Sisters of Mercy founded Mater Private Hospital in Townsville, the Specialist Surgery Centre has been a long-term vision of past Mater board members and was spearheaded by Chair of the board, Patrick Brady.”

“It is intended to honour Mater’s mission to bring a holistic approach to healthcare in response to changing community needs by providing the North Queensland community with an enhanced, contemporary centre of clinical excellence and leading healthcare services.”

To acknowledge the opening of the Mercy Centre, Mater Health Regional Director, North and Central Queensland Gerard Wyvill and Mater CEO Dr Peter Steer will be joined by board members and representatives of the Sisters of Mercy for an official blessing and opening ceremony featuring a ribbon cutting.