MEDIA RELEASE

INNISFAIL HOSPITAL REDEVELOPMENT PROVIDES MODERN NEW FACILITY

State Health Minister Stephen Robertson today officially opened Innisfail Hospital after a $42.3 million redevelopment.

The official opening, by Mr Robertson and Member for Mulgrave Warren Pitt, was the near-culmination of work that began in 2005 but suffered delays as a result of Cyclone Larry in 2006.

The new hospital offers 49 overnight beds and 23 bed alternatives, including dialysis and chemotherapy treatment chairs.

The dedicated chemotherapy unit is a new addition to the hospital that was included as part of the redevelopment and now offers five treatment chairs.

All other existing services and facilities in the hospital also have been expanded or improved as part of the redevelopment, and a new helipad has also been built on site.

The hospital’s dialysis unit has been expanded from four to eight chairs and now is providing services to patients from Yarrabah also, while the Emergency Department and operating theatres have benefited from an expansion and redesign.

Minister Robertson said the redeveloped hospital provided the Innisfail area with ultra-modern facilities designed to cope with demand well into the next decade and delivers on Local Member Warren Pitt’s long term commitment to deliver the best possible health infrastructure in Innisfail.

“This redevelopment will well and truly take the Innisfail region’s hospital services into the 21^st Century and emphasises our commitment to keeping pace with a community’s population growth and changing health service demands,’’ Minister Robertson said.

“Throughout Queensland, and particularly in Far North Queensland, a number of major health capital works projects are being undertaken, and more will be undertaken in the coming years.

“The Bligh Government will be spending hundreds of millions of dollars building new hospitals and upgrading existing facilities,” he said.

“This financial year alone $190 million has been set aside for capital works, with $472 million approved for the next four years.

“The Bligh Government intends to make sure we keep pace with the rapidly-increasing and ageing population, and with the surge in chronic disease,” Minister Robertson said.

Mr Robertson thanked Mr Pitt, who is also Minister for Main Roads and Local Government, for his hard work in helping make the redevelopment a reality for the community and being a strong and constant advocate for the project.

“My colleague has been involved in this project since the beginning and has been a very strong supporter and campaigner for the community,” Minister Robertson said.

Minister Pitt said the redevelopment had ensured the hospital was even more capable of providing high quality health services to the Innisfail community.

“The redevelopment has provided Innisfail residents with outstanding facilities, and a hospital of which they should be proud,” he said.

“The design of the redevelopment by Brisbane-based architects Suters was judged so outstanding it was one of the five commended designs in the 2008 Royal Australian Institute of Architects Regional Architecture Awards.”

Both Ministers thanked the dedicated hospital staff, and the Innisfail community for their patience and understanding during the construction process.

All departments of the hospital that had moved off-site during the redevelopment process now have returned to the hospital.

Ends.

Media: Kate van Poelgeest 0458 449 267