New Beds for Wollongong Hospital
Australia’s historic health and hospital reform is to deliver an additional 21 beds to Wollongong Hospital.
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Joint Release
The Hon Nicola Roxon MP
Minister for Health and Ageing
Sharon Bird MP
Member for Cunningham
Jennie George MP
Member for Throsby
Noreen Hay
State Member for Wollongong
15 June 2010 Australia’s historic health and hospital reform is to deliver an additional 21 beds to Wollongong Hospital.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and NSW Premier Kristina Keneally signed the historic health reform agreement, providing an additional $1.1 billion directly to NSW over four years to implement health and hospital reforms across NSW.
Under the reform agreement, Wollongong Hospital will receive in 2010–11 an additional 19 emergency department and two high-dependency beds.
The new beds were announced during a visit today to Wollongong Hospital by the Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon.
The 21 new beds build on the Rudd Government's investment of almost $403,000 in Wollongong Hospital to reduce elective surgery waiting lists through the provision of surgical equipment.
In April, the Australian Government also announced it would provide $12.1 million under the regional cancer centres initiative to enhance cancer services, including increased radiotherapy services, at the Illawarra Cancer Care Centre, at Wollongong Hospital.
The NSW Government said it would provide a further $2 million towards the upgrade.
The State Member for Wollongong, representing the NSW Government, Noreen Hay, said “Wollongong is the beneficiary of the State and Federal Governments working together to achieve good local outcomes.”
Once fully operational, these enhanced facilities will allow for an estimated additional 414 radiotherapy patients to access treatment each year and for an estimated additional 3,000 chemotherapy treatments a year.
Member for Cunningham Sharon Bird said that these investments demonstrated how health reform was delivering for the local community, “with more beds, first-class cancer services, and new facilities to train the regions future workforce.”
“The landmark health reforms create a system that is funded nationally and run locally, and its having a great impact here in Wollongong.”
For all media inquiries, please contact the Minister's Office on 02 6277 7220.
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