Design plans have been lodged for a $100 million eight-storey “world-class” hospital that will include a high-end restaurant in Maroochydore’s new city centre.
The private facility has been described as a medical and teaching facility which will include a surgical hospital and will have a particular focus on musculo-skeletal conditions.
The hospital component will contain a range of surgical specialties along with ancillary healthcare services to treat the people of the Sunshine Coast.
There will also be a comprehensive pain management, sports medicine and allied health offering.
The complex will include a roof-top area for staff.
Barwon Investment Partners has submitted plans with Economic Development Queensland (EDC) which is the authority responsible for assessing all development applications within the new Maroochydore CBD.
“Barwon is proud to note that the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) will be an anchor tenant in the new medical facility which will be a centre of excellence in clinical care, innovation, education and research,” the firm said in a media statement.
USC will also work in conjunction with another tenant, Medacta, to deliver education and training content.
Medacta specialises in the design and production of innovative orthopaedic products and is considered a pioneer in developing minimally invasive surgical techniques for orthopaedic and spinal surgery.
This collaboration between Medacta technologies, with USC facilitating the education, will help advance surgical techniques.
Projects are already underway with Medacta and the USC’s integrated learning centre which will ensure a “one-stop-shop” for training in specific surgical techniques.
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USC Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Helen Bartlett said the university was happy to be part of a consortium that would deliver better health outcomes along with opportunities for researchers and students.
“Our teaching and research activities at the centre will tie in with our degrees in Medical Science, Occupational Therapy, Health Science, and our other allied health programs,” she said.
Tom Patrick, Head of Healthcare Property at Barwon said the relationship between USC and Medacta would lead to a centre of excellence for both Australian and international surgeons.
“Not only will we be servicing the people within Maroochydore and surrounding communities for their healthcare needs, but we will also be part of an innovative and green solution that will help stimulate local employment with many new roles needing to be filled.”
Chairman of the city centre development manager SunCentral Maroochydore, Morgan Parker, said he was pleased with the investment of such a highly regarded national firm as Barwon which had strong links to the healthcare industry.
“Barwon is a leading investor in healthcare operations across Australia and their decision to invest in the CBD is a reflection of the work which has been undertaken over a number of years to create a leading-edge city centre for the Sunshine Coast,” he said.
“Our long-term objective of delivering one of southeast Queensland’s largest urban regeneration projects is well and truly underway and we are looking forward to partnering with Barwon on the delivery of this new project, which will bring huge benefits to the community and business across the Sunshine Coast,” Mr Parker said.
Barwon Investment Partners is an independently owned Australian fund manager that has been generating investment returns for institutional, wholesale and retail clients for more than 15 years.
It launched the Barwon Institutional Healthcare Property Fund in 2016 which comprises 18 healthcare properties valued at over $950 million.
