{"id":181040,"date":"2017-06-13T23:54:54","date_gmt":"2017-06-13T13:54:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=181040"},"modified":"2020-09-14T11:15:44","modified_gmt":"2020-09-14T01:15:44","slug":"62m-funding-earmarked-for-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2017\/06\/13\/62m-funding-earmarked-for-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"$62m Funding Earmarked For Hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kingaroy Hospital … a new hospital has been the “number one priority” of the\u00a0Darling Downs Hospital and Health Board for many years<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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‘I’m Cautiously Optimistic’<\/strong><\/p>\n

Deputy Opposition Leader and Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington said she was cautiously optimistic that Kingaroy’s much-needed hospital would now become a reality.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But she was disappointed that Labor had “left hanging” for so long a project the LNP had ready to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cFive years of lobbying and perseverance have paid off,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA new hospital for the South Burnett has been my number one priority since becoming the local State Member. I would like to thank the hard working staff of the hospital who work in the current less-than-ideal conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many people have worked extremely hard to make this a reality. I\u2019d particularly like to thank everyone who signed petitions, filled out my surveys and shared their stories about the hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has all made a difference.”<\/p>\n

Mrs Frecklington said $8 million was in this Budget but pressure would have to be kept on the Labor Government to ensure that the rest of the funding was delivered.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

June 13, 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Anne Miller<\/strong><\/p>\n

After years of lobbying by residents, local councillors and\u00a0State and Federal politicians, Kingaroy is finally getting a new hospital.<\/p>\n

But it won’t happen overnight.<\/p>\n

In the State Budget handed down on Tuesday afternoon by Treasurer Curtis Pitt, $8 million was allocated immediately to Kingaroy Hospital.<\/p>\n

Darling Downs Hospital and Health Board chairman Mike Horan said another $54 million had been listed in the State Government’s Budget projections for the next three years.<\/p>\n

“Eight million dollars is a lot of money to spend in Year 1. We have got to get cracking!” Mr Horan joked.<\/p>\n

“It’s great news, it’s terrific news. It should be embraced by everyone.”<\/p>\n

A new public hospital in Kingaroy has been the top priority of the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service for many years.<\/p>\n

Mr Horan said the the first phase would include developing detailed architect’s plans and estimates, and perhaps some initial ground work.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Darling Downs Hospital and Health Board’s business case for the project, which included some basic plans, has already been approved by the government’s Investment Review Committee.<\/p>\n

The bulk of the hospital construction work will be done during Years 2-3 with the project to tail off and be finished in Year 4 (2020-21).<\/p>\n

Mr Horan said the current hospital would continue treating patients as normal throughout the construction period.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The State Government’s “Regional Action Plan” Budget document for Wide Bay includes some specifications for the new hospital: 66 beds, 12 emergency department spaces, six consulting suites, two operating theatres and two birth suites.<\/p>\n

Mr Horan said the Board would like input from local doctors and nurses about what they would like to see in the hospital before the final plans were drawn up.<\/p>\n

The new hospital would be built on a separate site within the hospital grounds. After the stand-alone building is completed, Mr Horan said he expected parts of the old complex would be demolished while other parts might be kept for different uses.<\/p>\n

The Budget papers note the key objectives for 2017-18 at Kingaroy Hospital include the building of a new dental training clinic and co-located community health service.<\/p>\n

This project is already underway on the site of the old Farrhome building in Youngman Street and is being delivered in partnership with Griffith University and Queensland Rural Medical Education.<\/p>\n

However, Mr Horan emphasised the funding for this project was not coming out of the $8 million hospital allocation.<\/p>\n

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