A new specialist private hospital in the heart of Maroochydore City Centre has opened its doors, bringing a boutique model of healthcare to one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions.
Part of the Fortius Healthcare group, Maroochy Private Hospital has been developed as a purpose-built facility focused primarily on musculoskeletal care, with 33 inpatient beds, six operating theatres and a multidisciplinary team of specialists, nurses and allied health professionals working under one roof.
Other specialities include neurosurgery, ophthalmology and plastic surgery.
Co-founder Associate Professor Daevyd Rodda and Dr Joe Coory, orthopaedic surgeons at Sunshine Coast Orthopaedic Group and shareholders of Maroochy Private, have played a key role in shaping the hospital’s vision and believe the facility represents an important milestone in the Sunshine Coast’s evolution as a healthcare destination.
For A/Prof Rodda, Maroochydore City Centre was the obvious location for a hospital designed to serve the entire region.
“We wanted to create a hospital that was accessible to the entire Sunshine Coast community,” he says.
“Maroochydore City Centre is ideally positioned for patients travelling from across the region – whether they’re coming from the southern end of the Coast, Noosa or Gympie.
“It was designed as a major transport hub and offers the kind of convenience, parking and surrounding amenities that make a real difference for patients and their families.”
The location also positions the hospital within one of the Coast’s fastest-growing precincts.
“This is where much of the Olympic Games infrastructure is going to be built,” A/Prof Rodda says.
“Given our focus, we wanted to be part of that growth and to be in and around the excitement and buzz that is building across the precinct.”
The hospital’s arrival comes as demand for orthopaedic procedures continues to increase and as perceptions of healthcare on the Coast continue to evolve.
A/Prof Rodda says one of the biggest changes he has witnessed during his 11 years on the Coast has been a shift in how patients view the region’s healthcare offering.
“When I first came to the Sunshine Coast, many patients felt they needed to travel to Brisbane to access the highest level of care,” he says. “Over the years, I’ve seen that perception completely change. We’re now welcoming patients not only from across regional Queensland, but also from Brisbane, interstate and even overseas who are choosing to come to the Sunshine Coast for their surgery.”
That changing perception is reflected in the transformation of Maroochydore itself.
“It was very forward-thinking of the Sunshine Coast Council to develop this CBD,” A/Prof Rodda says. “Before any of these buildings were here, you wouldn’t have predicted that it would look like this by 2026, and it’s just incredible to think what it might look like in another 10 years.”
He says the growing energy within the city centre precinct made it a natural home for the hospital.
“What excites me most is that this isn’t just a hospital,” A/Prof Rodda says.
“It’s part of a broader precinct that is bringing people, businesses and services together, and you can feel that sense of momentum everywhere you go.”
Maroochy Private Hospital is Fortius Healthcare’s third specialist hospital, following hospitals in Newcastle and Adelaide.
“The whole premise of Fortius hospitals is that we wanted to provide smaller boutique hospitals, sub-specialised in a small number of procedures that we do extremely well with a definite musculoskeletal focus,” A/Prof Rodda says.
“And that’s been the experience of those kinds of hospitals internationally – that patients have extremely good clinical outcomes and, on top of that, an extremely good patient experience.”
A/Prof Rodda believes the new hospital has the potential to become a destination facility for patients from across Australia.
“The reality is that, in our practice, we’ve had patients come from all kinds of regional areas and interstate and overseas over the years,” he says.
“And I feel that this facility has the opportunity to build on that momentum.”
Dr Coory says one of the key advantages of the new hospital is the ability to design the patient experience from the ground up.
“One of the really great things about being involved in this experience has been that we can shape our patient’s journey throughout the whole process,” he says.
“Historically, we have been able to control what happens in the clinic rooms and what happens in the post-surgical period.
“But that perioperative period, we haven’t had that much control over other than the techniques we actually use.”
The hospital has adopted Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) principles, encouraging patients to mobilise sooner following procedures and return home earlier.
“Patients who come in for joint replacement and shoulder surgery are generally well people having elective procedures focused on improving pain and mobility,” Dr Coory says.
“We encourage them to get up, mobilise and return home sooner where clinically appropriate, as these approaches are supported by evidence in elective orthopaedic care.”
That philosophy extends beyond the operating theatre. At Maroochy Private Hospital, recovery has been carefully considered from every angle, including the environment in which patients heal.
Boutique-style rooms are bathed in natural light and framed by sweeping views of the Glass House Mountains, creating a setting that feels more like a contemporary retreat than a traditional hospital ward.
The Sunshine Coast Orthopaedic Group team includes five orthopaedic surgeons, a pain specialist, nurse practitioners, physiotherapists, exercise physiologists and allied health professionals all contributing to an integrated patient journey.
“Our focus has always been to treat surgery as a journey, not as an operation,” Dr Coory says.
“We have always had a focus on an integrated patient experience from the first time a patient’s referred into the clinic until the time of discharge.”
Technology has also played a key role in the hospital’s design.
“I’m somewhat of a tech enthusiast,” Dr Coory says.
“One of the really fun things has been being able to pick exactly the tech we want in the hospital.
“A lot of the surgery I do is minimally invasive keyhole-style surgery. The quality of the cameras and the type of camera technology available now is incredible.”
Dr Coory, an early adopter of robotic-assisted shoulder surgery, says advanced technology has been carefully incorporated into the facility’s operating theatres.
“Last year, we were the second in Australia to perform a total shoulder replacement assisted by the Mako robot and the first on the Sunshine Coast,” he says.
Beyond patient care, the hospital is expected to create significant employment opportunities and help attract more healthcare professionals to the region.
“Theatre access on the Coast, generally speaking, is getting more difficult,” Dr Coory says.
“So, by having more capacity, we’re able to treat patients in a timelier fashion.
“As the population grows, we need more jobs and this facility is bringing hundreds of jobs.”
He believes the hospital will also play a significant role in attracting specialists to the Coast.
“Having a facility like this, that’s catered to advanced musculoskeletal care, will attract more specialists to the region.”
For both A/Prof Rodda and Dr Coory, however, the hospital’s greatest strength lies in the people who work within it.
“What we’re really focusing on here is three things: patient-centred care, the patient experience and building a strong team culture, because you can’t achieve those things without a collaborative and committed team,” A/Prof Rodda says.
“At the very centre of everything we’ve done here is a massive focus on team culture. That’s been our North Star from day one.”
As Maroochy Private Hospital begins welcoming patients, its founders hope the facility will become more than just another hospital. They hope it will help cement the Coast’s reputation as a destination for specialist healthcare for decades to come.
Current Tenants
- Sunshine Coast Radiology
- John Kyle Espresso
- Sunshine Coast Gut Health Clinic
- University of Sunshine Coast Clinical Trials
- On Point Skin Surveillance Clinic
- Love Light & Healing
- LDCT Healthcare
- Sports & Spinal
- Sunshine Coast Orthopaedic Group
- Fortius Allied Health
- Medacta
- Dr Grant Fraser Kirk Plastic Surgery
- Solace Clinic
- Dr Hilma Starostina
- OASIS Healthcare Group.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 1st surgery performed on June 23, 2026
- 33 inpatient beds
- 6 operating theatres
- 5 orthopaedic surgeons
- 3rd Fortius hospital in Australia
- 400-plus jobs supported.
drjoecoory.com.au
