Liberals promise to build second Ballarat hospital if elected this November

The Liberal Party has promised to build a second hospital in Ballarat's west on a block of land between Ballymanus estate in Alfredton, and the industrial estate along Ballarat-Carngham Road if it is elected on November 26.

The second campus to the Ballarat Base Hospital will be a 100-bed facility which will house urgent care, general surgery facilities and a day surgery centre.

But the emergency department will remain at the Ballarat Base Hospital.

The Liberals have pledged $200 million for the "first stage" of the campus.

The land for the hospital has been donated to the government, if they are able to form a majority after the election.

"It is not an insubstantial building, but on 10 acres we would be able to have room to grow as well," Member for Ripon Louise Staley said.

A creek currently runs through the land, which Ms Staley said would be a "beautiful addition".

"I actually think that would be an advantage for the non-urgent services that we are planning to deliver at this hospital," she said.

Shadow health spokesperson Georgie Crozier said the campus would be built before the upgrades to the Ballarat Base Hospital were finished.

"Our priority will be to get on immediately to build this and get it done within the first term," Ms Crozier said.

When Victorian premier Daniel Andrews visited Ballarat in July, he said there were no plans for a second public hospital in the city.

He said the hospital had the capacity to build up or shift other medical services to other community bases.

It follows a business report from Grampians Health, which revealed the $541.6 million redevelopment works underway would not be able to keep up with service demand, which had grown twice as fast as expected the past five years.

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When asked if two campuses would stretch the health staff at the base, Ms Crozier said "that is not an issue at all" because the Ballarat service provider, Grampians Health, also ran the Horsham Hospital.

"Many, many health services have multiple facilities," she said.

Ms Crozier said Liberal announcements, like funding university nursing degrees, would help increase the workforce to meet the demand this new campus would bring.

"We need to keep those nurses and doctors in the system," she said.

In response, Minister for Heath Mary-Anne Thomas said in a statement the funding promised "would not cover the cost of a roof, let alone a new hospital" and they could not be trusted to deliver.

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