[Greens-Media] Greens call on govt to commit extra $200m public funding for RNSH

[John Kaye]

Greens call on govt to commit extra $200m public funding for RNSH
 
Media release: 31 May 2011
 
The Greens have thrown their support behind doctors, nurses and members of the community who rallied today outside state parliament to call for a $200 million increase in funding for the Royal North Shore Hospital redevelopment.
 
Greens NSW MP John Kaye said: "The redevelopment has been grossly underfunded from the start.
 
"Spending $1 billion on a new hospital with only one extra bed will do nothing to ease the current or projected bed congestion.
 
"The land sale was merely a short-sighted grab for cash by a desperate Labor government.
 
"Staff have been so concerned about the repercussions for services at RNSH into the future that they have spent their own time and money campaigning against the proposal.
 
"It is now up to Health Minister Jillian Skinner to step in and resolve this mess.
 
"She must immediately rule out the previous government's sell-off plans.  Waiting for a new campus plan to be developed before a final decision on the land sale is made will only make saving the hospital more difficult and expensive. 
 
"Time is running out to allocate sufficient public funding for a redevelopment that will meet the needs of the population now and into the future. 
 
"It's all very well for Ms Skinner to blame Labor's incompetence, but as the current Minister she needs to put her money where her mouth is fast.
 
"Tomorrow's parliamentary debate in the Legislative Assembly would be a perfect opportunity for the government to announce a fully funded plan to improve the hospital, increase the capacity to at least 500 acute medical and surgical beds and secure a future for mental health services," Dr Kaye said. 
 
For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455