The Hodgman Liberal Government has delivered record health investment for North West coasters this week, permanently funding eight beds at the North West Regional Hospital, as well as backing the future of the Mersey Community Hospital in the State Budget.
The Budget provides funding for more than 30 staff to support the extra beds. This includes nurses, doctors, allied health and support staff.
With a record $7 billion health Budget, we are getting on with the job of delivering a health system with more beds and more staff. And we are investing in exciting infrastructure upgrades in the region.
The eight beds are made up of four Emergency Department short stay beds and four surgical beds for elective surgery patients who need overnight stays, at a cost of $12 million.
The beds package is supported by a $720,000 upgrade of the pre-admission area.
The Hodgman Government has provided future certainty of the Mersey Community Hospital through a 10-year, $730.4 million funding deal with the Federal Government in April – a deal the Labor-Greens Government could not have achieved.
Unlike Labor, we have always supported the Mersey and retaining it, and we are further supporting the hospital with a $35 million upgrade investment in the forward estimates.
As part of a statewide $17.9 million hospital facility upgrades package, the North West Regional Hospital will also receive $2.2 million for a new dedicated nurse training facility to replace a current substandard demountable building.
This will support better education and skills building for our nurses to continue providing excellent patient care.
A number of other statewide health spending measures will benefit the North West including - $16.9 million for the roll out of the One Health System reforms, $16 million for mental health initiatives, $9 million for a second Ambulance Tasmania Aero‑Medical and Retrieval Service and Tasmania Police Search and Rescue helicopter and $6 million for a Tasmanian Health Service Statewide Operations and Command Centre.
The Hodgman Government is getting on with the job and delivering the health system Tasmanians deserve.