June 20, 2022

Gunnedah Shire Council will write to the NSW Shadow Minister for Health and the Regional Minister for Health to seek a commitment that the new Gunnedah Hospital will retain all its existing services and be funded and constructed if there is a change of government at the March 2023 State Election.

Gunnedah Shire Councillors voted unanimously to support the motion put forward by Mayor Jamie Chaffey for the hospital build to go ahead regardless of government, and to retain its existing 48 beds and include renal and chemotherapy services.

“It is necessary that council, on behalf of the community, seeks to have bipartisan commitment for this critical project. We need certainty that, should there be a change of Government at the forthcoming State election, Gunnedah and the wider community will still receive the much-needed updated infrastructure to provide for the health and medical needs of our community for generations to come,” Cr Chaffey said.

“The timelines for the hospital redevelopment are of concern. The NSW Health Infrastructure team has indicated construction will begin in September 2023 for a 12-month construction process and commissioning of the facility before opening. Contracts may not be awarded for a successful tenderer to construct the new hospital before the caretaker period ahead of the March 25, 2023 State Election.

“Additionally, when the NSW Government announced in 2019 that it had made a commitment to build a new hospital for Gunnedah, with $53 million to get it under way, the promise was made that we would not go backwards in the services our hospital provides. The new hospital would provide all the services of our existing hospital – emergency, medical imaging, maternity, birthing and the inpatient unit, and administration - along with community health and outpatient clinics. But the state government went further to promise the addition of new, much-needed services including renal and chemotherapy services.

“Despite this promise, we now know from the NSW Health Infrastructure team that there will be 19 beds in Maternity and In-Patients, 6 beds in Day Surgery and 5 beds in Emergency, with the addition of 6 infusion chairs. This means there will be a total of 30 beds in the new hospital, not the 48 beds we currently have. We are losing beds.

“The argument that some are not in use is ridiculous in the face of the facts that people are often forced to go to Tamworth Hospital instead of our own. Patients are not given the option to remain in Gunnedah.

“As a Council, we will pursue this matter and demand that the new hospital precinct provide all of the current services, including the 48 beds and the inclusion of renal and chemotherapy services, as promised.”

Caption: Gunnedah Shire Council is seeking a commitment that the Gunnedah Hospital redevelopment will go ahead with all of its existing services.

ENDS

For more information, contact Gunnedah Shire Council’s media team on (02) 6740 2100.