The John Hunter Hospital could be set for a major rebuild as part of the State Government's $8 billion Hospital investment, which has already seen redevelopments at Wyong, Gosford and Maitland.
State Minister for Health, Brad Hazzard has called a meeting for next month which will discuss the wholesale redevelopment of the John Hunter Hospital, which could include an updated university presence and even a hotel.
The meeting will also be attended by Hunter New England Health CEO Michael Di Rienzo, as well as Parliamentary Secretary Scot MacDonald, who believes the time is right to discuss the 27-year-old facility's long-term future.
"[The Hospital], is a major referral hospital for the Hunter and New England Region... It brings in patients from all over Northern NSW, so it's critically important that we get this right, and this meeting will be an important meeting for its future," Mr MacDonald said.
The September 3 meeting is expected to be a prelude to more detailed plans filed to the Treasury, Cabinet and Department of Planning.
It's believed the planned redevelopment of the facility is expected to costs hundreds of millions of dollars, with similar operations at Wyong and Gosford costing between $450 and $550 million.
"There is now $2.1 billion going into health infrastructure every year across the state... and John Hunter Hospital needs that study about where it's going to be in 2030, 2040 and even 2050," Mr MacDonald said.
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| John Hunter Hospital. Source: Newcastle Herald |
