The Wesley Hospital Official Opening of Dr Russell Stitz Theatre Complex

Thank you, Richard. I too acknowledge Federal Member for Ryan Jane Prentice, UnitingCare Queensland CEO Anne Cross. I acknowledge you all, especially Russell Stitz, to whom I will return.

Kaye and I are very pleased to be with The Wesley Hospital and UnitingCare community today to celebrate the official opening of this exceptional addition to Queensland’s private health care facilities.

The sixteenth century barber-surgeons in England could not have imagined that their successors would be working in a complex such as this — or doing a great deal more than just letting blood and extracting teeth! Even a century ago, few surgeons would have believed that Röntgen’s first, fuzzy X-ray of his wife’s hand would lead to images of such remarkable clarity that they could be used to guide surgical procedures.

But today, these visions are a reality here at The Wesley Hospital.

The concept of building an operating theatre with permanently installed diagnostic imaging equipment is just one of the intuitive leaps which has truly revolutionised contemporary approaches to surgery. Patients, surgeons and indeed the entire health system benefit enormously from the shorter surgery and recovery times, less invasive techniques, greater precision, reduced risk, and the ability to conduct multiple surgeries simultaneously.

This theatre, as well as the other two new theatres in this complex, brings the total number of theatres at The Wesley to twenty, without taking into account the complementary catheter laboratories and endoscopy suites. Together, they present very much as the face of modern medicine in our State.

As Patron of the Wesley-St Andrew's Research Institute, I commend the Hospital and Board for their grand vision.

I also commend UnitingCare Queensland on the foresight in commissioning and investing in this project.

Kaye and I congratulate all concerned with bringing it to fruition. We look forward very much to our tour of this outstanding facility later this morning.

I also commend everyone on the decision to name the new complex in honour of the distinguished clinician – one the Hospital can proudly claim as one of their own – Adjunct Professor Stitz, who is present here today.

It now gives me great pleasure to unveil this plaque, marking the official opening of the Dr Russell Stitz Theatre Complex.