New Royal Hobart Hospital is now a lost chance, says former Labor premier Paul Lennon

FORMER Labor premier Paul Lennon has weighed in to the debate on Tasmania’s health crisis, lamenting successive governments’ inability to deliver a new Hobart hospital.

Former Tasmanian premier Paul Lennon at the Macqaurie Point site, where he was proposing a replacement hospital be built during his time in office. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

FORMER Labor premier Paul Lennon has weighed in to the debate on Tasmania’s health crisis, lamenting successive governments’ inability to deliver a new Hobart hospital.

In an opinion piece in Saturday’s Mercury, Mr Lennon defends his government’s legacy on the Royal Hobart Hospital.

READ THE OPINION PIECE HERE: MONEY FOR THE THINGS THAT MATTER

“Construction of a brand new Royal Hobart Hospital now would be well advanced at Macquarie Point had subsequent governments stuck to plans put in place in 2005,” he says.

Mr Lennon also reveals his government was advised a redevelopment on the current site would be a “nightmare”.

“The reason I wanted a new hospital was quite simply because I firmly believed that we needed a RHH that could manage the growing needs of the Tasmanian community for at least the next 75 years. The advice my government had was that this would not be possible if all we did was to do a patch-up job on the existing hospital,” he says.

“There were also concerns that trying to renovate the existing hospital would become a planning nightmare, resulting in frustration for doctors, nurses and patients and ending in significant cost overruns.”

He denies being responsible for the failure of the new hospital project, saying his government got as far as moving the Hobart railyards to Brighton to free up space, setting aside funding for detailed planning for the new hospital and building up a “war chest” to pay for it.

“I can’t say why the decision changed in the years after I retired — that is for other people to answer. What I can say with certainty is that it was not too late in 2014 for the incoming Hodgman Government to build a new greenfield hospital.”

Mr Lennon resigned from state parliament in May 2008 amid plummeting personal support and a slump in the polls for Labor.

One of the Hodgman Liberal Government’s key election promises in 2014 was to “rescue” the Royal Hobart Hospital project.

The restarted $689 million redevelopment is due for completion mid-next year.

The Mercury recently revealed overcrowding at the hospital was so severe health officials were planing to put patients in alcoves and storerooms at times when the hospital was struggling to cope with demand.