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Echuca Regional Health has been granted $150,000 by the Victorian Coalition Government to complete the development of its state-of-the-art Education Centre.

In announcing the funding today, Member for Rodney Paul Weller said the health service would now be in a position to renovate and establish an additional 24-bed accommodation section of the centre.

Mr Weller said he was made aware by ERH in November that the project faced a funding shortfall and had made representations to the Victorian Health Minister David Davis immediately.

He said he was delighted the minister had approved his request for funding in such a short time frame.

“This funding allocation is sensational news for Echuca Regional Health and means the Education Centre project can be completed without delay.

“It also comes at a very exciting time in the history of our health service which is about to embark on its $65.6 million redevelopment project.”

Mr Weller said the ERH Education Centre was a state-of-the-art teaching and accommodation facility for tertiary health students.

He said the project commenced in November 2009 when ERH purchased the 60 bed Engelbert Lodge nursing home on the hospital site.

“Since then ERH has progressively undertaken renovations to convert the building to a combined clinical training area and 44 bed accommodation Education Centre.

“Stage 1 of the project has been completed, however a funding shortfall to complete the renovation of the final 24 bedrooms was identified late last year.”

Mr Weller said programs offered through the ERH Education Centre were helping to address shortfalls in the rural medical and nursing workforces within the organisation.

He said the facility was already seeing a range of participants from secondary school to post graduate students on clinical placements and within clinical education programs.

The total cost of the project is expected to be approximately $5 million.