Tell the Health Minister to spend public money wisely!
Albury and Wodonga urgently need a new hospital - one single-site hospital. Existing hospital infrastructure is literally crumbling, there is a 20-60 bed shortage every day, and it’s dangerous to transfer critically unwell patients between two hospital sites.
In 2021, master planning with extensive consultation with experts, local clinicians, Albury-Wodonga Health and both the NSW and Victorian health departments recommended a new greenfield hospital for Albury-Wodonga. In late 2022, right before an election, the previous government announced a brownfield upgrade of the existing Albury Hospital instead, spending a whopping $558 million on a redevelopment that doesn’t meet current needs. The “masterplan” just released for this project doesn’t even have bed numbers and includes multiple unplanned and unfunded future stages.
The community, including the Border Medical Association, the Albury Base Hospital branch of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, and Better Border Health, is advocating for the originally recommended greenfield hospital to ensure both safe medical care and effective spending of public money.
A new government could make a new decision. You can help make sure that the NSW government isn't wasting millions on a poorly planned hospital redevelopment, and help our growing community to get the care we deserve.
Write to Minister Park now.