Hannah Hammoud
In 2020, St Albans resident John Perrett donated more than $19 million to the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) after he died in September that year.
Mr Perrett received a life-saving kidney transplant at the hospital more than 35 years ago. Fast-forward to today, the RMH now has a dedicated kidney centre named in his honour.
Mr Perrett’s donation was a bequest in his will thanks to the hard-working doctors and nurses who saved his life all those decades ago, making it the largest gift the hospital has ever received.
Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas joined friend and executor of Mr Perrett’s estate, David Whiting to officially open the John Perrett Kidney Centre – a new and contemporary dialysis unit located at the hospital’s Elizabeth Street site.
Already providing care for around 580 dialysis patients, the new centre will allow the hospital to treat an additional 60 patients with a 15-chair satellite dialysis unit and new consulting rooms – also creating an extra 17 full time jobs for health sector staff.
The RMH said the opening of the new state of the art kidney centre is a “tribute” to Mr Perrett’s vision.
“We are profoundly grateful for his generosity – he has given countless Victorians a second chance at life.”
Kidney transplantation at the RMH began in 1963, with the hospital now performing more than 100 transplants every year.
The John Perrett Centre will also provide holistic haemodialysis care in an outpatient setting as part of The RMH’s existing kidney care service.
Ms Thomas said the memory of John and his generosity will live on through the centre.
“… it is also a testament to our world-class healthcare workers and the life-changing care they provide every day,” she said.
“Hundreds of Victorians will now benefit from this new state-of-the-art facility with the team further equipped with the best resources to deliver kidney treatment.”
