Coomera Hospital: New northern Gold Coast health precinct in proposed $160m election spend

The Gold Coast’s newest hospital will be at the heart of a giant new health precinct in the city’s north, with new plans revealing what it will look like and what will be inside. SUBSCRIBE TO SEE THE SITE AND PLANS

A NEW public hospital and health precinct will be built in the Gold Coast’s north as part of a $160m State Government election commitment.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will on Monday unveil plans for the new Coomera Hospital, which is planned for a government-owned 13.52ha site on George Alexander Way as part of a big-spending health package for the city.

Artist impression of the proposed Coomera Hospital and Health Precinct proposed by the State Government

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Under the plans:

* $5.7m will go to a second computed tomography (CT) scanner for Robina Hospital.

* $3m to plan and develop the new hospital at Coomera.

* The previously announced $111.3m expansion for the Gold Coast University Hospital and a satellite hospital for the southern suburbs.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Ms Palaszczuk said planning for a hospital at Coomera was critical, given the city’s rapidly growing population.

“The Gold Coast region is experiencing significant population growth and we are seeing the impact that is having on the demand for health services in the region,” she said.

“Our plan includes a new hospital and health precinct in Coomera and will be ideally situated, being within walking distance of the Coomera train station.

The hospital is part of a $160 million health package.

“We have set aside $3m to develop the plan in consultation with the community and stakeholders for the infrastructure and services we need on this site.

“We have been able to keep our economy open because of our strong health response and this will mean we can continue to deliver word-class health care for this fast-growing part of the Gold Coast well into the future.”

The three projects will create about 470 jobs.

The Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service (HHS) previously completed a master plan for the region, highlighting planning work for a health facility in the area to meet the needs of the population growth in the north, which could attend to minor injuries, day patients and other services.

The project is planned for Government-owned land.

In the Gold Coast Health Service plan for 2016-2026, the health service said that the health facility “would act as a “spoke” to the two major hospitals providing ambulatory and subacute care closer to people’s homes.”

Until this week, no plans had emerged.

Gaven MP Meaghan Scanlon welcomed the commitment as an important step towards addressing the area’s needs.

Meaghan Scanlon. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

“This is exactly the type of health boost that our growing community needs because Gold Coast hospitals are among the busiest in the state,” he said.

“Robina Hospital CT service is currently operating at capacity, with more than 13,000 CT scans being completed at the hospital each year and demand continuing to increase,” Ms Scanlon said.

Labor’s Coomera candidate Chris Johnson said that a new hospital would “future proof” the city’s north and reduce travel times.

The LNP have previously committed $4m towards masterplanning a “state-of-the-art” hospital at Coomera.