![Potential: The three options (red, blue and brown) that are under consideration for the $780 million redevelopment of John Hunter Hospital. Potential: The three options (red, blue and brown) that are under consideration for the $780 million redevelopment of John Hunter Hospital.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/UfX4XDhNMhVpTbjzWZdknP/3bbf6561-3ce9-4404-904b-161d7245fa56.JPG/r217_388_2636_1985_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A re-elected Coalition government would spend $780 million redeveloping the John Hunter Hospital, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Sunday.
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The project, which would commence within the first term of a new government, would result in a significant expansion of the existing site and incorporate new emergency medicine, cancer care and surgical services.
Ms Berejiklian said the redevelopment would bring total health infrastructure investment in the region to more than $1 billion.
“This investment by the NSW Liberals and Nationals will ensure people in the Hunter have the best available healthcare close to home, attracting the best clinicians,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“It will deliver better surgical and critical care services, an expanded emergency department, better diagnostic and support facilities, and also a jobs boom for the Hunter by creating more than 7800 jobs."
![State election 2019: Government pledges $780 million for John Hunter Hospital redevelopment State election 2019: Government pledges $780 million for John Hunter Hospital redevelopment](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/UfX4XDhNMhVpTbjzWZdknP/d58ed42d-28ae-4f34-a9eb-5b2839c09568.jpg/r0_0_931_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The John Hunter Hospital employs more than 2500 people and has the busiest emergency department in the state. It is also the University of Newcastle’s principal teaching hospital.
If it proceeds the outlay would eclipse the $470 million being spent on the new Maitland Hospital and the $700 million spent on the Revitalising Newcastle project.
In Sydney Blacktown ($700 million), Northern Beaches ($900 million), Westmead ($900 million), Campbelltown ($760 million) and Liverpool ($740 million) are among hospitals receiving large cash injections.
Discussions about the wholesale redevelopment of the John Hunter Hospital, which opened in 1991, began in September last year and involved Health Minister Brad Hazzard, Hunter New England Health, the University of Newcastle and TAFE and the Hunter Medical Research Institute.
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Preliminary planning drawings show three options which are under consideration for the site's expansion.
The planning has also taken into account how the redeveloped hospital will connect to the new inner-city bypass.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said work on the planned development will commence in the next term of government, and is part of more than $8 billion in health infrastructure.
“We recently completed work at John Hunter Children’s Hospital paediatric and neonatal intensive care units, boosting the hospital’s ability to care for the sickest babies," he said.
“Coupled with our $470 million investment at Maitland to build a new hospital 70 per cent larger than the current one, and our commitment to expand Manning, the Liberals and Nationals will invest more than $1 billion in health infrastructure in the region,” Mr Hazzard said.
In addition to record infrastructure investment, the Government will add 8300 frontline staff, including 5000 nurses and midwives in a $2.8 billion workforce boost. This will include at least 979 staff in the Hunter New England Local Health District: 613 nurses and midwives, 113 doctors, 105 allied health staff and 148 hospital support workers.
Labor also commits to John Hunter Hospital redevelopment
Shadow Health Minister Walt Secord told the Herald on Sunday afternoon that Labor would match the Government's commitment to redevelop John Hunter Hospital.
“Labor can fund improvements to the Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital and John Hunter Hospital because we are not splurging on stadiums," Mr Secord said.
“The Liberals and Nationals can only fund stadiums, schools and hospitals, if they are going to make them privatised hospitals."
Health minister says Labor's pledge is "back of the envelope stuff"
A furious Health Minister Brad Hazzard described Labor's counter-commitment as "untrustworthy beyond belief."
"There was no mention of this at their campaign launch this morning. If it took just over an hour for Labor to work out that John Hunter Hospital needs to be redeveloped how can they be trusted to manage the state," Mr Hazzard said.
"I have personally spent hundreds of hours over the past two years working on this. They (Labor) have not met with the Medical Staff Council, the health district or Infrastructure NSW. They haven't submitted any plans to the Parliamentary Budget Office to be assessed. We are delivering critical infrastructure for the Hunter Region and all they can come up with is the equivalent of back of the envelope commitment to match it."