Queensland Health respond to calls by Mayor Paul Antonio for a new Toowoomba hospital
Queensland Health has responded to calls by Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio for the government to build a new hospital made in the wake of the quarantine hub announcement.
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Queensland Health has dismissed calls made by Toowoomba Regional Council for a new hospital, following the state government’s decision to build a quarantine hub at Wellcamp.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced on Thursday that an agreement had been reached between the government and the owners of Wellcamp Airport, Wagner Corporation, for a 1000-bed purpose built facility.
Construction is expected to ramp up in the coming weeks, with Wagner Corporation chairman John Wagner confirming that 500 rooms will be completed by Christmas.
The announcement caught many by surprise, with Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio notified of the development by staff while returning from a council event at Oakey.
Mr Antonio said the quarantine facility presented an opportunity for the State Government to invest further in Toowoomba’s healthcare for the future.
The Queensland Government has been under pressure to build a new Toowoomba Hospital.
“We should also go back to the Queensland Government and say, ‘hey, you really need to build us a new hospital’,” he said.
However a Queensland Health spokesman said the establishment of a quarantine facility at Toowoomba would have no impact on the delivery of health services to the region.
“Toowoomba Hospital will continue providing first-class care to people on the Darling Downs,” he said.
“Quarantined guests diagnosed with Covid-19 will continue to be managed by southeast Queensland’s hospital network.
“At present, all Covid-19 patients are being treated in hospitals in Brisbane, Cairns and on the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast.”
Ms Palaszczuk confirmed that anyone with Covid needing medical attention would be either flown or taken by ambulance to Brisbane.
“What we’ve said is we will not be transporting them to the Toowoomba Hospital, we will make sure they go to where our Covid hospitals are,” she said.
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