Labor promises $700m hospital for new hospital Rouse Hill
Labor pledges $700 million to build The Hills’ first public hospital at Rouse Hill specialising in women’s and children’s services.
Labor has pledged $700 million to build The Hills’ first public hospital at Rouse Hill to specialise in women’s and children’s services but the State Government said it had a “snowflake’s chance in hell of coming to fruition”.
The figure is more than double the amount —$300 million — than the Liberals promised.
NSW Opposition leader Michael Daley made the vow at Rouse Hill today with opposition health spokesman Walt Secord and Riverstone Labor candidate Annemarie Christie.
The hospital will house up to 300 beds and comprise maternity services, obstetrics and paediatric wards and a special care nursery.
The women’s clinic will include an emergency department, operating theatres, diagnostic services, oncology and outpatient services.
Dr Christie — currently a GP at Castle Hill — said the government had been waiting four years to allocate a site.
Dr Christie labelled plans for Rouse Hill Hospital inadequate because it only comprised ambulatory and diagnostic services.
“That’s not a hospital, that’s a medical centre,’’ she said.
“We have one of the largest populations of children in the entire state.”
A site could not be elected unless Labor won office but Dr Christie said it would be in the northwest corridor.
“For four years plenty of land has been available and it’s been bought by the developers and we can’t wait.
“There are a number of locations but we have to get them quickly otherwise the developers are going to snap them up,” she said.
“As a doctor I’m acutely aware of the lack of services in the whole of northwest Sydney and the announcement by the government for $300 million just isn’t enough to build a full-service hospital.”
Mother-of-three Zena Moujalli said travelling to Westmead from The Ponds put a strain on her family.
“A local public hospital in the northwest is a game changer for us,” she said.
The site of the hospital has been contentious point after the State Government failed to deliver a promise to name a site for Rouse Hill Hospital.
Mr Secord said the hospital would alleviate pressure off Nepean, Blacktown, Westmead and Mt Druitt hospitals.
Over the next 10 years, 33,000 homes will be built in Sydney’s northwest and be home to around 250,000 people.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard dubbed Labor was delivering an empty promise and had a “snowflake’s chance in hell of coming to fruition”.
“In 2018 at their State Conference, Labor said the Rouse Hill Hospital would have over 500 beds,” Mr Hazzard said.
“Today, it’s down to fewer than 300.”
Online feedback suggested 300 beds was insufficient for a rapidly growing region.
“Not enough beds, seeing as The Hills Shire is so big and the population is growing,” Dawn McLoughlin said on Facebook.
By comparison, the newly opened Mona Vale Hospital has between 100 and 199 beds, Royal North Shore has between 200 and 500 and Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital has between 200 and 500 beds.
If Labor wins the March 23 poll, construction will begin in the first term of a Daley Labor Government, creating more than 1500 jobs during the construction phase.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said actions spoke louder than words.
Riverstone state Liberal MP Kevin Conolly said Labor’s suport for a hospital at Rouse Hill was an attempted catch-up.
“It comes only after the Liberals have invested $700 million in upgrading Blacktown-Mt Druitt Hospital and hundreds of millions of dollars at each of Westmead, Nepean and several other western Sydney hospitals,’’ he said.
“These are all projects which Labor talked about but would not or could not deliver.”
He said Labor had no credibility in the region.
“Locals well remember that they promised the northwest rail line and then cancelled it, then announced it again and cancelled it again,’’ he said.
“Residents in the region remember that Labor had to be dragged kicking and screaming to upgrade Windsor Rd years after it was due to be completed.”
Mr Conolly said Labor did not have the money or support the policies that would deliver the money for the hospital.
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