Vandals strike hospital site

VANDALS destroyed all the geological equipment and stole a toolbox at the $582 million Tweed Valley Hospital site on Thursday night.

The attack on the largest infrastructure project the shire has ever seen fired up NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard yesterday after he toured the ageing Tweed Heads Hospital.

The decision to build the hospital on a Cudgen sweet potato farm has divided the community since it was announced in April.

Farmers have protested against losing arable land, Kingscliff residents rallied against it leading to overdevelopment in their coastal town, Labor promised to build it at the nearby Kings Forest Estate and the Greens want the old hospital upgraded.

The vandalism is the latest setback for Health Infrastructure as it yesterday announced Tweed Coastal Demolition and Excavations won the remediation work contract.

“Whoever did damage all of the geological equipment should hang their head in shame,” Mr Hazzard said.

“It is time for people to put aside their political batons and get on the field to start playing in the one direction.”

The existing hospital is already overloaded and patients are constantly being sent to Queensland for services the facility doesn’t provide. The new hospital with remedy this.

Tweed Hospital Medical Council co-chair Robert Davies said there were 10 patients waiting for beds at the hospital yesterday and all remaining 220 were full.

“There are patients in the Emergency Department waiting 24 hours just for the coronary department beds,” he said. “We are at capacity.” Dr Davies said the proposed site was ideal.