The Royal Hobart Hospital is in line for a $187 million injection that will see aging buildings refurbished and multiple new specialist wards built if the Liberals win government.
The party also says they will recruit additional doctors and nurses for the hospital’s emergency department as part of their promise of a “massive staff and cash injection”.
“Since 2014, we’ve delivered an additional 298 hospital beds and employed an extra 2500 health professionals including 1,390 nurses – but there’s more work to do and our health system still needs to be better,” Liberal Leader Jeremy Rockliff said.
“By recruiting an additional 44 full-time doctors and 25 full-time nurses for the Royal Hobart Hospital, we will be able to ensure that the Royal’s recently expanded ED will be firing on all cylinders 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Recent upgrades at the hospital over the past decade include a new K-block and helipad, expanded ICU, a renovated 38-bed cardiology unit, new outpatient and pre-admission clinics on Liverpool Street and a $13.8 million endoscopy suite.
Currently, construction is underway for a $22 million Hospital Pharmacy and a second angiography suite.
Alongside more staff, the policy would see the hospital’s A block refurbished and the aging facade and roof replaced.
Plans also include constructing a new neurology/stroke ward, a rapid assessment medical unit and a medical sub-specialties ward.
Cancer services and medical services would also be colocated, while the older persons unit would be refurbished to better accommodate those suffering from dementia.
The proposed policy is budgeted at $88 million over four years for staffing and $187 million over six years for capital upgrades.
Labor say ‘re-heated announcement’ promised before
Labor’s Anita Dow said the upgrades announced by the Liberals today were all promised at the last election and not delivered.
“If Tasmanians needed a reminder of just how out of ideas this tired, 10 year-old Liberal government has become, Jeremy Rockliff served them one for breakfast today – with a big side dish of broken promises,” she said.
“Mr Rockliff’s re-heated Royal Hobart Hospital announcement is exactly the same series of upgrades the Liberals promised at the last election and have failed to deliver.”
“A new neurology/stroke ward … A new rapid assessment medical unit … A new medical sub-specialties ward … The co-location of cancer services and medical services? Promised and not delivered.”
