Cessnock and Kurri hospitals will not close under a NSW Liberals and Nationals Government, according to shadow health minister Jillian Skinner.
Mrs. Skinner was in Cessnock last Thursday following the Coalition’s announcement of a $33 million boost to Hunter health services.
This includes a $2 million refurbishment of Cessnock’s emergency department, and $500,000 for Cessnock and Kurri hospitals for 60 new electric beds.
"Local Cessnock and Kurri Kurri communities also deserve better health facilities," Mrs. Skinner said.
"Under a NSW Liberals and Nationals government, Cessnock Hospital's emergency department would receive a $2 million refurbishment.
"This will improve emergency care for patients at Cessnock Hospital, and provide safer working conditions for local doctors and nurses.
"Improving the layout, standard of lighting and fixing the current problem that exists whereby the nurse monitoring station is not in direct line of sight for some of the emergency beds is essential to providing quality care for patients and safer working conditions.
"This problem has been known for years but under Labor nothing has been done to fix it.
"Additionally Cessnock and Kurri Kurri Hospitals will receive $500,000 for 60 new electric beds.
"The current pneumatic pump beds are out of date and in need of replacement.”
Mrs. Skinner said she was happy to say that neither Cessnock nor Kurri Hospital will close under a Liberals and Nationals government.
She said she met with members of the Kurri community in 2010 and gave them a blueprint on how they can lobby to save their hospital services.
Nationals candidate for Cessnock Alison Davey said that it was good to see the Cessnock and Kurri communities already getting more attention from the NSW Liberals and Nationals than they have received from the Keneally Labor Government.
"For 16 years the Labor Government has shown little regard for this region," Alison Davey said.
“Whether it was the attempt to privatise Cessnock gaol or force the Hydro Aluminium smelter from Kurri Kurri – Labor has shown they are taking this area for granted.
"Its time the Cessnock and Kurri Kurri communities stood up and said enough is enough and sent Labor a message by voting for the NSW Liberals and Nationals at the March election," she said.
Labor candidate for Cessnock, Clayton Barr was critical of the Coalition’s funding plan, saying it will not deliver any new beds or reduce waiting times.
“(NSW Opposition Leader) Barry O’Farrell has told Cessnock that he doesn’t care about improving our access to health services, and that we should expect to wait a lot longer for treatment under a Liberal/National Government. His funding announcement is window dressing for his real plan to close down regional hospitals like Cessnock and Kurri Kurri,” Mr. Barr said.
“The last time the Liberal/National Coalition were in power, they closed 30 local hospitals. From his announcement, it appears he is getting ready to do it again, and the people of Cessnock will suffer.
“If Barry O’Farrell was serious about improving health care in Cessnock he would not have come up here to make an announcement that does not deliver one extra bed, one extra nurse or one extra doctor.”
Mr. O’Farrell was in the Hunter Region last Thursday with Mrs. Skinner, visiting Maitland Hospital, where a new $20 million hospital is part of the Coalition’s plans, and Calvary Mater Hospital at Newcastle, which has been promised $8 million for a cancer research and treatment centre.
***
It has been almost eight years since maternity services ceased at Cessnock Hospital.
In regards to re-opening the maternity ward, Mrs. Skinner said it was not likely, due to the lack of obstetricians, anaesthetists and other specialists in the area.
“We will be trying to maintain the maternity units that are still open, and hope to open some new ones, but we can’t open anything if we don’t have the staff,” she said.
“I wouldn’t promise to open anything unless I could look the person in the eye and tell them it would be safe for their family.”
Mrs. Davey said that while maternity issues were important to people who live here, local women are well looked after at Maitland and Newcastle hospitals where there are adequate staff.
“And they can come back to Cessnock Hospital after they have their baby,” she added.
Email a friend