Hospital dream that bit nearer

THE late Bob Norman would be pretty chuffed that the creation of a tertiary hospital in Cairns is getting closer to reality.

The businessman was a big advocate for providing university scientists with a venue near a hospital to work with medical staff.

Of course, he had vested interests. He was a chairman of the Cairns Hospital board and also a board member of James Cook University.

Now both organisations have forged a partnership and key to achieving tertiary status is a strategic piece of property near the hospital in the Lake St area.

Townsville has a JCU campus next to the greenfields Townsville Hospital for its tertiary ranking.

It’s a similar scenario on the Gold Coast.

That will not happen in Cairns because land near the Far Northern hospital is scarce and expensive.

But a property has been identified to build a $50 million research hub allowing scientists to collaborate with clinicians.

About $10 million would be needed to buy the property for the Cairns Tropical Enterprise Centre.

JCU vice-chancellor Professor Sonya Harding has returned from the Cairns TNQ Convoy to Canberra confident the pitch for $10 million to buy property was well received.

The Far North has been front and centre in the eyes of political leaders in Canberra this week after the convoy of about 50 delegates descended on the nation’s capital for top-level meetings, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.

Funding for the hospital research hub is not far-fetched with a federal election not too far away. Nick Dalton Deputy editor