Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has unveiled a preferred site for a new hospital in Bundaberg.
The 60 hectare greenfield site is on Bundaberg Ring Road, to the west of Kay McDuff Drive, about five kilometres south of the central business district.
“Selecting the right site for a new hospital was vital to future-proofing the public healthcare system to meet the changing needs of Wide Bay Burnett regional communities,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“With a population that is both growing and ageing, more people with more complex health conditions will be relying on our health system.
“In time, these pressures will place significant strain on critical services, so it is imperative that planning occur early to strengthen our public healthcare system to ensure it can accommodate future needs.
“That’s why the Queensland Government has invested $6.7 million to develop a detailed business case, to investigate the delivery of a brand new, state-of-the-art public hospital on this new site in Bundaberg.”
Health Minister Steven Miles said strengthening Queensland’s healthcare and economy was undoubtedly more important than ever right now.
“Having a site of around 60 hectares in size provides the hospital and health service with the flexibility needed to accommodate future growth and expansion,” he said.
“It also allows for broader economic development opportunities and the potential integration of other health, education and research facilities within the precinct over time.”
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Board Chair Peta Jamieson was thrilled to share the preferred site with the community and said it paved the way for important master planning work to forge ahead.
“The site close to the emergency services complex on Wyllie Street, the new Aeromedical Base at the airport and well located for regional patients, carers and families travelling to access health services,” Ms Jamieson said.
“Now that we have a preferred site, the project team will continue its ongoing discussions with stakeholders about internal and external road upgrades and connections, service utilities, emergency service access, public transport and other supporting infrastructure requirements and costs.”
Wide Bay HHS Chief Executive Debbie Carroll said the announcement was tremendous news and thanked the community for its patience while due diligence investigations were under way.
“The site was identified through a comprehensive site selection process, which considered more than 40 sites across the region, including more than 20 sites put forward through a publicly advertised expression of interest (EOI) process,” Ms Carroll said.
“I’d like to acknowledge and thank local landowners for their enthusiasm towards the project and time and effort they took in submitting their land for consideration as part of the EOI process.
“This new hospital will serve the Bundaberg community and the Wide Bay Burnett region for decades to come, so I’m glad we’ve invested a good amount of time in finding a site will best meet the region’s healthcare needs well into the future.”
