Abandoned $36m medical facility in a state of limbo

ONE of the city’s most prestigious medical buildings will be abandoned next year, with the Gold Coast Hospital board still unsure what to do with the $36 million facility in Southport.

Griffith University’s Centre for Medicine and Oral Health – barely seven years old – is being relocated from the hospital precinct to a new 11-floor facility due to be finished at the Parkwood campus early next year.

B u i l t i n p a r t n e r s h i p wi t h Queensland Health, the State Gov- ernment owns the facility which allows dental students to treat public dental patients cheaply.

Gold Coast Health and Hospital Service acting chief executive Naomi Dwyer said no decisions had been made on what services would be relocated to the old Griffith building next year.

Late last year master planning was started on turning the building into a Southport Health Precinct, based on the model at Robina.

The precinct could feature education services for the community, chronic disease management, antenatal services and organisations such as the Red Cross blood bank.

‘‘Most hospital services will relocate from Gold Coast Hospital to Gold Coast University Hospital in 2013, however a number of possible services have been identified and consulted with for a health precinct should it go ahead, based on the current functionality of the available buildings,’’ Ms Dwyer said.

But Gold Coast Medical Association president Dr Peter McLaren said he believed the building should not be used for health services.

‘‘I’m still hoping for a good building like that to be used by a government department or the public service,’’ Dr McLaren said.

Dr McLaren said health services should lands.

‘‘Having two campuses is never going to work very efficiently,’’ he said. ‘‘You’ve got to administrate these sites as well and you end up with more bureaucrats and administrators.’’

Southport Chamber of Commerce president Laird Marshall (pictured) said he would like to see the building used by the health sector.

‘‘Not everyone is going to want to go to Parklands and there are a number of medical services already in that area,’’ Mr Marshall said.

The Griffith Health Centre will include dental clinics, as well as laboratories and simulation suites.

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