The new $330 million Eurobodalla Regional Hospital is on track to deliver first-class health services and hundreds of local jobs with the appointment of the main works contractor.
Multiplex Constructions has been awarded the main works contract to deliver the new hospital, which will provide the community with a range of expanded and contemporary health services.
Clinicians, staff and the community have been engaged in the planning and design process, which is expected to support more than 600 direct jobs during construction and hundreds of indirect jobs over the life of the project.
Work to prepare the site will include the installation of site sheds, site setup and establishment, construction of erosion and sediment basins, and an ancillary road to facilitate construction access.
The new $330 million Eurobodalla Regional Hospital includes:
· An emergency department with a larger capacity than the current combined emergency services of Moruya and Batemans Bay hospitals.
· An eight bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) / Close Observation Unit (COU). This will be the first intensive care service available in the Eurobodalla region.
· Increased access for chemotherapy treatments and renal dialysis.
· Surgical and operating theatres and a day stay surgical unit.
· Expanded medical imaging, including a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) service.
· Ambulatory care for community outpatient services.
· Paediatric and maternity services, and a special care nursery.
· Mental health beds for short term admissions.
· Enhanced education and training facilities, including a simulation laboratory.
Community members interested in working on the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital will be encouraged to attend drop-in information sessions at a later date, to hear about opportunities to be part of the workforce for the new project.
For the more information about the project click HERE.
Meantime, the 18,000 signature petition to keep the Batemans Bay Hospital Emergency Department open once the Eurobodalla hospital opens (slated for 2027) has been debated and noted in NSW Parliament.
NSW Regional Health Minister, Ryan Park, said it was in the State Opposition’s original plan for the Eurobodalla Hospital back in 2018 to close to the Batemans Bay ED, once the new hospital opened.
Speaking in Parliament, Minister Park said the Liberals can’t have it both ways.
“When your own plan said that wouldn’t be feasible or safe, because Level 4 hospitals need two things, they need through put from patients and they need adequate staffing, they are a considerably higher level of hospital than what is there,” Minister Park said.
“I’m not going to shortchange the people of the Eurobodalla Shire by dare pretending to them, that you can somehow have a rundown emergency department with adequate staff at Batemans Bay but you can also have a Level 4 hospital 26km’s down the road (in Moruya), that is rubbish.”
NSW Opposition Leader, Mark Speakman, who tabled the petition to save the Batemans Bay Hospital Emergency Department said he was calling for Chris Minns to properly consider the needs of the Batemans Bay community.
He said patients would still need a local emergency department even when a new Eurobodalla Hospital opens.
“It (Batemans Bay) will be the largest regional centre in NSW without an emergency department and he (Bega MP, Dr Michael Holland) says that’s okay,” Mr Speakman said.
“When the Eurobodalla Regional Hospital opens which we all welcome, under this government, there will be fewer emergency department beds than there are now in the Eurobodalla Shire.”
Mr Speakman said after the debate that a number of Labor Members treated the Batemans Bay community with contempt by voting against even noting the petition.
Images & Video: NSW Parliament
