LNP vows $4m for hospital masterplan

THE LNP says it will spend $4 million on a masterplan to build a new hospital in the city’s fast-growing north as part of its Get Queensland Working Again plan.

However, the State Government says a masterplan has already been completed.

LNP Leader Deb Frecklington said on Monday: “Our vision is for locals to easily access medical services at the health precinct like dental, mental health, dialysis, imaging, pathology, chemotherapy and pharmacy.

“The masterplan will also guide the provision of additional hospital beds for the community, slash elective surgery wait times on the Gold Coast and establish additional step-up and step-down mental health care.”

It is not yet known how much would be committed to build the hospital once the masterplan is completed.

The need for a health precinct in the city’s northern corridor has long been acknowledged by health professionals and LNP member for Coomera Michael Crandon.

In a masterplan completed last year, the Gold Coast Health Service said a health facility “would act as a ‘spoke’ to the two major hospitals, providing ambulatory and subacute care closer to people’s homes”.

Land has been earmarked in Coomera. However, no work has taken place.

Ms Frecklington said, if the LNP was elected, the land would be considered as a potential location, but a masterplan would determine the final location.

LNP health spokesman Ros Bates said a new hospital was overdue.

“Hospitals are bursting at the seams and ambulance ramping is skyrocketing because the Palaszczuk Labor government has failed to plan,” she said.

Mr Crandon said the hospital and health precinct would be a game-changer.

Member for Gaven Meaghan Scanlon said Gold Coast Health already had a masterplan. “The Palaszczuk government is investing in Queensland’s plan to unite and recover. We’ve invested a record $1.575bn for the Gold Coast HHS in 2019-20.”