The new hospital at Metford will be fully government-funded if Labor wins the March election, Opposition Leader John Robertson says.
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The Labor leader was in Maitland yesterday with opposition health spokesman Walt Secord and Labor candidate for Maitland Jenny Aitchison to make the election commitment.
Mr Robertson criticised the government for not having announced a funding model for the new health facility.
He said Labor would not outsource any of the hospital’s services to the private sector if the party won government.
“We don’t want to see for-profit operators running hospitals in NSW,” Mr Robertson said.
“Health needs to be delivered by the government.
“A vote for Labor will see the services that are delivered in this hospital delivered by the government.”
But Health Minister Jillian Skinner said the announcement was a political stunt because the opposition had not earmarked any funding for the hospital.
She said the government would release details about the next stages of development when planning for the hospital was complete.
“They have no plans and no money set aside to build this hospital,” Ms Skinner said.
“John Robertson needs to show Maitland the money – where is it?
“I can assure the community that under the NSW Liberals and Nationals government the new Maitland hospital will provide free public health care for public patients.”
Ms Aitchison said a publicly funded hospital would deliver better health outcomes for Maitland.
“We need to make sure that people are getting into public hospitals which they afford and that will give them much better outcomes for health,” she said.
Maitland MP Robyn Parker said Labor had changed its stance on how the hospital should be funded.
She referred to media comments earlier this year by former opposition health spokesman Andrew McDonald, who said: “It has to be a public hospital, possibly with some private involvement as part of a public/ private partnership, but it has to be the Lower Hunter public hospital.”
Ms Parker said a second community information session about the hospital would be held at The Quality Hotel Monte Pio, Maitland, from 5.30pm on November 25.
“The event will include presentations on the planning undertaken so far and how the community input has been used in the master planning process,” she said.
“The project team will also discuss the next steps in preparing for the region’s new hospital.”
To register for the seminar phone 9978 5444 or email info@health.nsw.gov.au by November 18.
