More than $4 million is being invested in a new chiller plant at Mater Private Hospital Bundaberg to ensure optimal operating conditions for surgeons and patients. 

General Manager Catherine Hackney said the significant investment reflected Mater’s ongoing commitment to delivering high quality healthcare to the Bundaberg community. 

“We’ve been caring for the people of the Wide Bay region since the hospital first opened in 1946,” Ms Hackney said. 

“This new infrastructure means we can continue to deliver the best quality care to our patients across all of our services from orthopaedics to geriatrics and beyond.” 

Ms Hackney said the chiller plant would be operational in the first half of 2024. 

“It is exciting to see Mater’s ongoing commitment to the community ensuring our services are reliable and contemporary,” she said. 

Mater Private Hospital Bundaberg Engineering Services Manager Leo Mulkearns said the new plant would replace the current chilled water plant, built in the 1980s.  

“The new chiller gives us up-to-date technology with 100 per cent redundancy, meaning that once construction is complete, there will actually be two plants on site,” he said.  

Mr Mulkearn said the new chilled water plant ensured the “backbone” of the hospital’s infrastructure was secure.