Mount Barker to receive new $220m hospital under Labor
Labor has vowed to build a new $220m hospital at Mount Barker with triple the number of beds – and now locals say the Liberals must match the promise.
Adelaide Hills
Don't miss out on the headlines from Adelaide Hills. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A new, bigger hospital will be built in Mount Barker, with triple the number of beds than the existing facility, under a Labor state government.
The Opposition announced on Wednesday morning it would invest $220 million into a new hospital for the Adelaide Hills’ town to cater for increasing demand and help tackle ambulance ramping.
The new state-of-the-art hospital would include 102 beds – 68 more than the current hospital features.
Major construction would begin in 2024/25 and the facility is scheduled to be completed by 2027.
A total of $95 million of the total cost would be committed in the four-year term of the government while the remaining funds would be allocated by 2026/27.
Labor says all current services will continue to be offered while the new beds will support extra services, including:
A NEW 12-bed mental health unit.
REHABILITATION beds for older patients needing longer-term care.
EXTRA obstetrics beds.
ADDITIONAL medical and surgical beds.
PALLIATIVE care beds.
The new facility would also include a pharmacy, pathology and radiology services, and upgraded outpatient clinics and operating theatres.
Chemotherapy services would also be enhanced.
The hospital would also include space and capacity for further expansion to future-proof the facility.
Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas said the commitment built on Labor’s previously announced pledge to rebuild Mount Barker’s ambulance station and install 18 extra ambulance officers and two extra ambulance crews.
“Local people will be able to be treated more often at their own hospital, and it will relieve pressure on metro hospitals,” he said.
The announcement follows a number of health pledges by Labor in the lead-up to the march poll.
It has announced $1 billion for 300 extra beds, 350 additional paramedics and ambulance officers, 300 extra nurses and 100 more doctors across metropolitan and regional health services.
It is yet unclear how many additional staff will be based at Mount Barker hospital as part of the upgrade.
At Wednesday’s announcement was federal Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie and Mount Barker mayor Ann Ferguson, who both called on the Liberal Party to match Labor’s pledge.
Independent Kaval MP Dan Cregan also challenged the government to “immediately match” the Opposition’s commitment.
“Since 2018 presentations at the Mount Barker ED alone have increased from 12,342 to 19,278 and Mount Barker is set to be the largest city in SA after Adelaide,” he said.
“In my view the Liberal Party cannot run a credible campaign in the Hills without making a similar commitment.”
Ms Sharkie said: “We have been in union calling for a new hospital for this part of the hills to service the area from Strathalbyn all the way up through to Birdwood”.
“This is desperately needed. This is a necessity," she said.
“I now call on, though it’s going to be a little cheeky, on the Marshall team to match this commitment because our community deserves it.”
Mayor Ferguson, who worked as a nurse at the Mount Barker hospital in 1982, said staff had been calling for a major upgrade for almost 40 years.
“We were at capacity then and we are at capacity now,” she said.
“I myself have experience coming out here and not being able to get an ambulance to go to the city.
“But the staff here are marvellous. They do what they do with what they’ve got, that they work under duress and nobody should work under duress in the job that they are passionate about.”
The Advertiser asked the Liberals if they would match Labor’s pledge.
Health Minister Stephen Wade said the party already had plans in place for a significant expansion of the hospital.
“The government has already undertaken extensive planning for the redevelopment and expansion of the Mount Barker Hospital, working directly with the local community and the Local Health Network, and it is clear that the best option for the region is to expand the existing hospital,” he said.
“We have a well-developed master plan to deliver just that, beginning with a much-needed $15.5 million expansion of the emergency department which is currently under construction.”
Join the conversation
Mum’s horror as son’s friend makes nightmare discovery
The Adelaide mother has paid tribute to her son after receiving news no parent can imagine.
Read more
Watch the videos: Chilling police interviews with SA criminals unpacked
They are among the most confronting, shocking and, at times, damning evidence filed in criminal trials – now an expert weighs in on the moment cops catch on camera.
Read more