Within three months, that fight will end.

The glass doors of the Palmerston Regional Hospital will open and Territorians will have access to their first new public hospital in 40 years.

The $170 million, 116-bed facility is quickly taking shape. Elevated windows filter in light through each colour-coordinated ward and ground floor rooms built around lush, green outdoor sitting areas.

Rich timber panels decorate the hospital’s main reception counter, and in a few weeks, the work of local indigenous artists will be hung in the main hallway.

The official opening, planned for August, is a moment nearly 10 years in the making — first promised by the Country Liberal Party in the lead-up to the 2008 election.

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In 2008, the CLP was led by Terry Mills, who committed $100 million over 15 years for the planning and staged construction of a brand new hospital in Palmerston.

According to Mr Mills’s original proposal, an emergency room and emergency surgical facilities would open by the end of 2014; and a 130-bed acute care block and allied health services would be offered in 2023.

“The initial idea was recognising that Palmerston would have a large population, and be more of a regional hub,” Mr Mills said.

PHOTO GALLERY: INSIDE THE NEW PALMERSTON HOSPITAL

“It’s been a long-held desire from families in the area, a long time coming.”

The CLP planned to build the hospital on its current Holtze site, on the corner of Stuart Highway and Temple Terrace.

However, after the 2008 election was won by Territory Labor, original plans to construct the hospital were put on hold.

In 2009, the government opted to spend more money on less – putting forward a proposal to spend $110 million on a 60-bed hospital that would open in 2016.

They secured Australian Government Funding in 2010 but nominated a different site for the facility – one closer to the centre of Palmerston City.

After the CLP won the 2012 election, the NT’s new leaders shifted the hospital back to its current site, which Mr Mills said would allow it expand progressively over time.

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Construction on the two-storey Palmerston Regional Hospital started in 2015 and in April this year, the building was handed over to NT Health for the commissioning phase.

Over the last six weeks, workers have moved in 18,000 pieces of furniture, fittings, and equipment to the Holtze site.

Roughly 85 per cent of the equipment has already arrived, methodically directed to the wards and areas they belong.

Slowly, the facility is starting to come to life, but PRH general manager Catherine O’Connell says all of its building systems will need to be thoroughly tested before the doors are officially opened to the public.

“We’re starting to focus on biomedical equipment, so specialist medical equipment. We’ve got people positing that equipment, configuring it, calibrating it, and making sure it’s right to go,” she said.

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Despite longtime staffing concerns, recruitment for the facility is on track, with 80 per cent of both medical and nursing positions already filled.

A number of PRH’s new workers are already at Royal Darwin Hospital, training and preparing for their careers at the regional site.

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation NT Branch assistant to the secretary Angela Phillips was pleased by recruitment at the facility.

“The Emergency Department is the most upfront critical area, and for the nursing side of it there is 81 per cent of the roles filled,” she said.

“They only need 71 per cent to open safely.”

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So far, stakeholders in the municipality are happy with the facility’s progress, and are excited for the August opening.

Palmerston Regional Business Association president Wayne Zerbe said PRH would be an asset to the local community – bringing with it thousands of dollars in potential spending.

“If you’ve got 400 extra people milling around in the area, it makes sense that some of that will spill over into the retail area,” he said. “It will certainly be good for the traders.”

Palmerston’s mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell, who won her seat in this year’s March election, echoed Mr Zerbe’s thoughts on the facility.

“While the hospital is the main focus at this stage, it is important to recognise that the delivery of such a significant piece of infrastructure and service will also drive additional development in the neighbouring areas, with the potential for support and allied services to expand in future years,” she said.

Ms Pascoe-Bell welcomed the addition to both Palmerston and the rural area as it would improve access to hospital services for all people in the municipality.

It’s a catalyst for future projects and Ms Pascoe-Bell says council looks forward to seeing additional industries develop from this initial project.

But the current services to be offered at the hospital are not enough, she said.

The mayor, and mother-of-two, argued Palmerston and Litchfield needed a full maternity service in the future.

“Palmerston has a young, family-oriented population which is increasing as our population grows,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to seeing a full birthing service being offered once a workforce is established to provide the service, and acknowledge that this delay is to ensure the safety of mums and their babies.

“In the meantime it will be good for Palmerston and rural-based mums to be able to access antenatal and post-natal care closer to home.”

Next March will see an expansion of the hospital’s current services, with overnight procedures offered for a number of low-risk surgeries.

In mid-2019, there will be a further expansion of the facility’s services, but the planned stages will be slow-moving and depend on demand, ability, and staffing.

Australian Medical Association NT president Robert Parker is supportive of the slow open, which he believes will strategically ensure PRH’s long-term sustainability.

However, Dr Parker said PRH would not solve chronic overcrowding problems at RDH.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles agreed, telling the NT News when the facility opened in August, it would provide some relief, but was not the solution to RDH’s overcrowding problems.

It will be a while until the $170-million, 116-bed facility pays for itself – but if rushed, the essential medical facility may crumble.

Given the years already invested in the hospital, it’s worth waiting for the facility to be able naturally open in stages, in a slow and methodical approach that will ensure the safety of all Territorians.

After all, lives are at stake if something goes wrong.