By Callum Ludwig
The long-abandoned Warburton Hospital still sits idle as Victoria’s health system is in a tumultuous state and Upper Yarra and Yarra Valley residents consistently have to make trips of up to an hour and a half for the nearest hospital care.
The hospital was sold in September 2000 to Prospa Pty Ltd, ceasing operations on March 14, 2001, despite being recently refurbished. In 2020, A Change.org petition was created to attempt to reopen the facility again, garnering over 2400 signatures, but was unsuccessful despite alleged interest from bidders.
An Upper Yarra resident said with the state of the hospital and ambulance services, it is a disgrace to see the hospital remain unused.
We in Wesburn, Warburton and the Yarra Valley are an ageing community, and we need our hospital. We also have tourists at the weekend, lots of accidents and we have to be taken down to Maroondah Hospital or the Angliss hospital,” they said.
“I’ve spoken to many people up here and we all agree it should reopen, we don’t have a hospital here other than the Healesville hospital.”
In 2020 as Covid-19 was first beginning to take hold, Eildon MP Cindy McLeish and now Yarra Ranges Council Mayor Jim Child called upon the State Government to reopen the immaculately-maintained hospital, with Geelong Private Hospital reopened under similar circumstances.
The Upper Yarra resident said an opening may alleviate pressures on other hospitals.
“Everyone’s understaffed, and ambulances are just lined up. Just last week I did something to my knee and couldn’t walk and was at the hospital for three days,” they said.
“I couldn’t be moved to the ward as there were 16 people waiting for beds in the ward and couldn’t be transferred to a private hospital because there were no beds either. I ended up going home to see my own doctor and physio.”
The Warburton Hospital previously catered for over 50 beds and had 24-hour accident and emergency, a pathology lab, birthing suites, radiology and operating theatres.
