Mater Health Services is a public and private collocated health care provider located in Brisbane, Australia. Mater Health Services provides care for some 500,000 patients each year. The Mater was established in 1906 by the Sisters of Mercy.[1] In 2002, Mater Health Services became an incorporated body, charged with the responsibility to continue the Mission of the Sisters of Mercy to “offer compassionate service to the sick and needy.”
The first Mater Hospital opened in a private house, ‘Aubigny’, at North Quay in 1906.[1] The house was converted into a 20 bed private hospital. In 1911, the funds generated by the first Mater Private Hospital, and its successor at South Brisbane, allowed the Sisters of Mercy to open a free public hospital for the city of Brisbane.
In 1931, the Mater Children’s Hospital was opened treating over 8,266 patients in its first year of operation. The Mater Mothers’ Hospital was officially opened in 1960 accommodating for 140 mothers.