A landmark investment of $200 million by the Miles Government will deliver a new hospital for the Cape York community.
Member for Cook, Cynthia Lui MP says securing vital funds for the hospital had remained her number one priority for the Cooktown community and she fought hard for funding to improve the current infrastructure.
“High quality care close to home is important for our families and a top priority of this government,” Ms Lui said.
“We know that our region’s population is increasing, and our health services need to grow to continue meeting demand.
“I am beyond thrilled that funding was committed in this year’s budget and I am proud to deliver this for my community,” she said.
Ms Lui and Premier Steven Miles were at Cooktown this week for the announcement. Ms Lui has been to Cooktown Hospital several times recently yo speak to staff, including once with Health Minister Shannon Fentiman.
The brand-new Cooktown hospital will replace the decades-old current Cooktown Multipurpose Health Service (MPHS) which built as a proposed temporary facility in the 1980s.
It will support modern models of care including maternity, paediatrics, mental health and palliative care, as well as increasing bed numbers with a landmark investment of $200 million by the Miles Government.
The proposed redevelopment of the Cooktown MPHS will include:
- a culturally appropriate main entry and front of house
- an emergency department and medical imaging
- inpatient unit with service capacity expanded from 16 to 24 beds
- a new operating theatre service with one theatre and one procedure room, and an adjacent birthing suite
- ambulatory and specialist outpatient services including oral health
- partial refurbishment of the existing community health building for mental health services as well as partial refurbishment of the existing hospital building for clinical and non-clinical support services
- provision for engineering, information and communication technology and infrastructure upgrades to support the new facilities and redevelopment delivery strategy, including the relocation of helipad, road infrastructure and car parking.
“Our government is a government that listens and acts on the issues that matter most to Queenslanders,” said Ms Lui.
“Our government wants all Queenslanders, no matter where they live, to have access to great quality healthcare, closer to home.
“I’m so proud that our government’s Workforce Attraction Incentive Scheme has already attracted 50 health heroes to the region, including more midwives.”
