FUNDING was assured for a redevelopment of the Inverell District Hospital when the Baird government was re-elected on the weekend, and the Member for Northern Tablelands, Adam Marshall, said it was his hope the funding might be stretched far enough to provide a brand new hospital for the town.
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The welcome election promise made by Deputy Premier Troy Grant in the car park of Inverell hospital four weeks ago, is now a very high priority for re-elected Member for Northern Tablelands, Adam Marshall.
“My first item of business is to ensure that the government delivers on the commitments that were made, particularly Inverell and Armidale hospitals,” Mr Marshall said.
“Once we know who makes up the new Cabinet, and who the Health Minister is, then one of the first phone calls they will receive will be from me because I want to get a very clear timeframe.”
Mr Marshall said there will be some very intensive planning to be undertaken, which the community will be involved with, and he would make the process and timing of the project clear to the community.
He said any $30 million redevelopment would have to meet the needs of the community for now and into the future.
“I had some discussion with the chief executive officer of Hunter New England Health before the election, who said a new hospital could be a possibility,” Mr Marshall said.
“But we won’t know that until we actually sit down with NSW Health Infrastructure and the hospital architects. We’ve got a $30 million bucket of money there and I want to see that stretched as far as possible.
“If we can get a brand newie then that would be brilliant, but we definitely want to address all of the issues raised with me by clinicians and staff at the hospital.
Mr Marshall said any redeveloped hospital would have to cater for the needs of a growing community well into the future.