Albury-Wodonga hospital loses $63.7m in planned services
Hospital redevelopment cuts $63.7 million in essential services to meet a 2022 budget.
A NSW Auditor-General report came out Thursday and found the hospital redevelopment was planned to fit a budget. This planning occurred before anyone worked out what the project really needed.
A children's unit, operating theatres and a helipad worth $63.7 million were cut. These cuts kept the total within the $558 million limit.
The budget was announced in 2022 as a pre-election promise. Costs were not checked before this.
Options were not looked at first. Greens MP Dr Amanda Cohn said the report proved what clinicians feared.
She said planning went backwards. Albury MP Justin Clancy agreed that parts were removed to fit the budget.
He called on NSW and Victoria to pay for the missing services. The Auditor-General said both states should review how the cross-border hospital is run.
- 558 million dollars
- Total budget
- 63.7 million dollars
- Services cut value
- 2022
- Budget year
- November 12
- Report date
Why it mattersEssential health infrastructure is being cut to meet a set budget. This leaves the region's hospital smaller than it was meant to be.
AustraliaPatients in the Albury-Wodonga region will have fewer emergency beds, paediatric care, and surgical capacity than originally planned for their public hospital.
