Tugun Satellite Hospital to bring free, quality healthcare closer to home

• The Palaszczuk Government today announced the services that will be provided at each of the Satellite Hospitals.
•  The Tugan Satellite Hospital will include a Minor Injury and Illness Clinic that will provide walk-in urgent care from 8:00am until late.
• It will also include renal dialysis chairs, day medical chairs, ante-natal and post-natal services, and medical imaging and diagnostic services.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk today announced the services that will be provided at each of the Satellite Hospitals.

Each of the Satellite Hospitals will include a Minor Injury and Illness Clinic that will be open seven days a week from 8:00am and will accept patients until 10:00pm (with health staff working until 11:30pm).

The clinic will provide walk-in urgent care for common injuries and illnesses – like strains and sprains, broken bones, minor head injuries, infections and rashes, minor eye issues, minor cuts and burns, tooth ache and earache, and fever.

The Tugun Satellite Hospital will also include:

• Renal dialysis chairs
• Day medical chairs (which provide services such as infusions of iron, pharmacological agents, antibodies, steroids and blood transfusions, for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, immune deficiencies and infections)
• Medical imaging and diagnostic services (including ultrasound, x-ray and pathology).

In addition, the Tugun Satellite Hospital will include consult and treatment rooms for appointments with Queensland Health doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.

The services delivered in these consult and treatment rooms will include nephrology services, chronic disease management, post-acute care, services for frail aged patients, and midwifery-led antenatal and postnatal services.

The Tugun Satellite Hospital will take pressure off emergency departments and major hospitals on the Gold Coast, and help meet the increasing demand for services we’re seeing in this growing community.

The Tugun Satellite Hospital will significantly expand capacity on the Gold Coast, with capacity to deliver:

• walk-in urgent care for up to 490 patients per week (depending on the case mix)
• 144 renal dialysis treatments per week
• 80 day medical treatments per week
• 520 outpatient appointments per week in the consult and treatment rooms.

The Tugun Satellite Hospital is expected to complete construction and open in the second half of this year.

Quotes attributable to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk:

“The Tugun Satellite Hospital will significantly expand health capacity on the Gold Coast,” the Premier said.

“Our Satellite Hospitals Program is nation leading and will take pressure off our busy emergency departments, while allowing locals to access free healthcare closer to home.

“This is just one part of our record $23.6 billion investment into healthcare, which is delivering more hospitals, more beds, more services and more frontline health workers.”

Quotes attributable to Minister Yvette D’Ath:

“Our Government will always defend free healthcare closer to home – and that’s exactly what our Satellite Hospitals Program will deliver,” Minister D’Ath said.

“Our Satellite Hospitals will deliver health services in the heart of growing communities, closer to home and in a more convenient setting for patients than a major hospital.

“The LNP have now revealed their secret $10 billion infrastructure cuts list, and Satellite Hospitals are right at the top. They’ve trashed these facilities from the start, and now they’re earmarked for sale under David Crisafulli’s debt reduction plan.

“When the LNP were last in office, they sacked 4,400 health staff and didn’t plan or announce a single new health infrastructure project. The LNP’s only plan is to cut, sack and sell.”

Quotes attributable to Meaghan Scanlon MP, Member for Gaven:

“The purpose-built Satellite Hospital at Boyd Street will allow locals to access healthcare closer to home rather than having to travel to major hospitals like Robina Hospital or the Gold Coast University Hospital,” Minister Scanlon said.

“It will include a Minor Injury and Illness Clinic that will provide walk-in urgent care for common injuries and illnesses – like a broken bone, an infection or an earache.

“The Satellite Hospital will also provide a range of other health services tailored to the local community, with all services provided by our world-class Queensland Health doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.

“Construction of the Tugun Satellite Hospital has also provided a boost for local businesses and created more than 110 construction jobs.”

Background / Further Information:

In addition to the Tugun Satellite Hospital, the Palaszczuk Government is building new and expanded hospitals across the entire Gold Coast region. This includes:

• $1.3 billion new Coomera Hospital with 404 beds
• $122.7 million Gold Coast Secure Mental Health Rehabilitation Unit with 40 beds
• $72 million Gold Coast University Hospital sub-acute expansion with 70 beds
• Expansions to Robina Hospital that will deliver 134 new beds.

The Palaszczuk Government has increased the budget for the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service to a record $1.94 billion in 2022-23 – an increase of 83 per cent compared to the LNP’s last budget.

Since 2015, we’ve hired 337 more doctors, 1,655 more nurses and midwives, 139 more ambulance officers, and 255 more allied health professionals on the Gold Coast.

ENDS

Media contact: Cullen Robinson - 0418 170 474