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A new maternity unit which will welcome 600 North Queensland babies a year has been blessed and officially opened at Mater Private Hospital Townsville.
The blessing performed by the Bishop of Townsville, the Most Reverend Timothy Harris, marked the completion of a 10-year construction masterplan which has transformed Mater’s Pimlico health campus.
The first stages involved construction of the $52 million Mercy Centre, providing state-of-the-art surgical care for North Queenslanders, and the opening of a new six-level car park for patients, visitors and staff.
Now Mater has completed the final phase of the masterplan: the relocation of its maternity and renal units from Hyde Park to its Pimlico campus.
Mater Private Hospital Townsville General Manager Stephanie Barwick said the new maternity unit offered outstanding care to women, babies and families and demonstrated Mater’s commitment to improving healthcare in the region.
“Our new maternity unit is designed to support clinical excellence, as well as comfort, connection and confidence for families,” Ms Barwick said.
“Most importantly, the unit ensures we can give our smallest patients the best possible start in life”.
Ms Barwick was the first mother admitted to the new unit after she gave birth to her baby boy at Mater’s former Hyde Park maternity unit on its final day of operation.
The new maternity and renal units form part of a $40m expansion project at Pimlico, with $9 million of funding for the maternity unit provided by the Federal Government’s Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
“Welcoming a new baby into the world should be a joyful experience, and this new maternity unit will help ensure hundreds of North Queensland families can access high-quality care close to home,” said Senator Nita Green.
“The Albanese Labor Government is proud to support projects like this that strengthen healthcare services in regional Australia and give every baby and family the best possible start in life.”
The new maternity unit has three state-of-the-art birth suites, a six-cot special care nursery, and 12 private rooms, all with en suites, offering a family-friendly and comfortable environment.
The unit’s family room was built with a $2.17m grant from Mater Foundation, funded through generous community donations.
Relocating the unit to Pimlico provides mothers and babies with on-site access to Mater’s full suite of services and clinicians, including the Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Department.
Mater’s renal unit was relocated from Hyde Park to Pimlico at the end of 2025, increasing in size from eight to 12 dialysis treatment bays.
VIP guests at the blessing included members of the Sisters of Mercy – the order which founded Mater in Queensland in 1906 – and Member for Herbert Phil Thompson.
Mater Group Chief Executive Julia Strickland-Bellamy thanked the Federal Government and the North Queensland community for their support of Mater.
“Townsville is aiming to become the health capital of Northern Australia and Mater’s new maternity unit is another step towards that goal,” Ms Strickland-Bellamy said.
“Mater is thankful for the Federal Government’s support, and for the support of the community, as we strive to provide healthcare that is modern, compassionate and clinically excellent.
“This is not simply an investment in the Townsville of today: it’s an investment in the generations to come.”
