US-based hospital network McLeod Health has begun building an Ambulatory Surgery Centre to provide same-day surgical procedures at its Carolina Forest campus in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The facility will provide outpatient surgical services, allowing patients to return home on the same day without overnight stays.

It will house four operating rooms and two endoscopy suites for gastroenterology procedures, which will all be staffed by trained medical professionals.

A ground-breaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of the project, which is due to take 12 months subject to permitting.

The facility will require an investment of $15.3m and be situated on the first floor of Building Three on the Forest campus.

It is intended to 'transform' the outpatient experience by offering shorter wait times and cost savings compared with traditional hospital-based procedures.

McLeod Health president and CEO Donna Isgett said: “We are not a healthcare operating company.

“We are a mission driven, not-for-profit healthcare system that is invested in taking care of the communities we serve.”

Based in Florence, South Carolina, McLeod Health is a non-profit healthcare system providing services for patients across the border of North and South Carolina.

The group employs around 15,000 team members and more than 2,900 licensed nurses.

Last month, it announced plans to build a hospital at the McLeod Health Carolina Forest Campus following the approval of a Certificate of Need from the State of South Carolina.

Being built as part of an expansion on the existing campus, the four-storey facility will feature 48 beds and four operating suites.

It will offer advanced imaging, diagnostics, pharmacy and laboratory services to patients in the Horry County and Carolina Forest areas.

The project is expected to take around two years to develop at a cost of $56m.