Brett Deaves was the first inpatient to spend the night at Mater Private Hospital Springfield when it opened 10 years ago.
Now, a decade later, the South Maclean resident is looking forward to seeing Mater’s new 186-bed public hospital open next-door to Mater’s private facility.
“It was a real honour to be the first patient admitted to Mater 10 years ago,” Mr Deaves said.
“I had excellent treatment and care and it’s exciting to know that Mater is expanding once again in Springfield.
“It’s crazy to reflect on how far the entire region has come over the past 10 years.
“Driving between Ripley and Ipswich and seeing how far development has come in such a short time is incredible.”
Mr Deaves was admitted to Mater Private Hospital Springfield on 28 October 2015 for minimally-invasive surgery to remove bilateral kidney stones, performed by Mater urologist Dr Stuart Philip.
Dr Philip said he was fortunate to have completed thousands of procedures at Mater’s Springfield over the past decade and was looking forward to seeing services continue to expand.
“My main memory of the hospital opening 10 years ago was how keen and excited the team were to get started,” Dr Philip said.
“So much planning and preparation went into those first few weeks, and it was great to see such a smooth start to the opening of a new hospital.
“Greater Springfield has gone from strength to strength over the past decade. When my family initially built a house here, things like a shopping centre, hospital, train line and AFL stadium were all just dreams.
“It’s great to see that health services have expanded as our population has increased. There’s an incredible group of very dedicated local GPs and allied health professionals, but we now also have multiple radiology providers and, of course, a new public hospital that will open very soon.”
Mater Private Hospital Springfield employs 320 staff and has performed almost 75,000 procedures for local patients since its opening.
Brett and Dr Philip recently reunited to celebrate Mater Private Hospital Springfield’s 10-year anniversary.
“We both look 10 years older – and in my case, a lot greyer!” Dr Philip said.
Mater Private Hospital Springfield General Manager Suzanne Hawksley said the hospital was grateful to the community and its many specialists, such as Dr Philip.
“Not only did Dr Philip complete our first surgery, he also completed our 10,000th surgery – and is ensuring patients in Greater Springfield have access to the care they need closer to home,” Ms Hawksley said.
“I want to thank every patient, staff member, and visitor who has been a part of our local story over the past decade.”
