Construction of the new Lower Hunter hospital will begin in the next term of government if the Coalition is re-elected.
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Health Minister Jillian Skinner visited Maitland on Thursday to announce that $25 million has been earmarked from the Hunter Infrastructure and Investment Fund to begin work at the Metford site.
The Minister also announced that $3.8 million has been set aside for a new ambulance station somewhere in the Maitland region, or for major upgrades to the 42-year-old base at Rutherford.
Mrs Skinner said the new hospital would transform healthcare in the Maitland region.
The total construction cost for the facility is expected to be more than $400 million.
The government chose the former PGH Brick Works site at Metford as the location for the hospital in August, 2013.
A specific start-work date has not yet been identified and will depend on factors including the progress of CSR’s remediation work at the site.
“To say the new Maitland hospital will be a game-changer for this region doesn’t even scratch the surface of how important this project is,” Mrs Skinner said.
“The new hospital will be located on a site at Metford that is six times larger than the existing Maitland Hospital and include an expanded emergency department, additional inpatient beds, cancer services and improved mental health services, among other enhancements.”
While public debate has raged about the funding model for the operation of the new hospital, Mrs Skinner reiterated the government’s guarantee that the facility would be a public hospital that would provide public health care.
The government has not ruled out the possibility of a public-private partnership model for the facility.
But Mrs Skinner said the government would not decide on a funding model until the final business case was submitted to NSW Treasury in the middle of this year, after the election.
“Under a re-elected Baird government, all public patients will have access to first-class, free health care at the new Maitland hospital,” she said.
“Further planning will determine the number of beds and treatment spaces required at the new hospital, but the community can rest assured it will be a significant enhancement on what is provided at the current Maitland Hospital.”
Liberal candidate for Maitland Steve Thomson said the new hospital would attract more high-quality health professionals to the Hunter.
“The new hospital will offer a higher level of services than the current Maitland Hospital and will ensure the community can receive more complex acute clinical care closer to home without travelling to Newcastle or out of the area,” he said.