By MATT NICHOLLS
ARMIDALE Hospital is unsuitable as a teaching facility, according to the town’s two most experienced and respected doctors.
Nigel Pain and John Nevin said the proposed $60 million redevelopment of the hospital was a “must-do project” and called on the state and federal governments to work out the funding as a matter of urgency.
Dr Nevin is the acting head of the University of New England’s School of Rural Medicine and said the outdated building was not designed as a teaching hospital.
“We’ve had more than 3000 students apply to study medicine at UNE next year and we’ve short-listed that down to 600 or 700, with a view to accepting around 170,” he said.
“The Armidale Hospital is a critical component of the university’s ability to teach students.
“We get by, and the staff at the hospital do an amazing job with the facilities they have to work with, but it really needs the redevelopment.”
Dr Pain works out of the Rusden Street Medical Practice and regularly attends to his patients at the hospital.
He said the hospital was “very tired and old” which made it hard to attract doctors to the town.
“It’s definitely not suitable to be a teaching hospital,” he said.
“The theatres are always being patched up and it’s just had its day.”
Dr Pain said Armidale had a lot to offer doctors, due to the university, quality schools and ability to fly in and out of Sydney, yet it struggled to attract and keep them.
“At our surgery we lost a doctor last year and we still haven’t been able to replace him,” he said.
“We could get one from overseas through an agency, but it would cost $20,000 and that’s not the way we want to go.
“A state-of-the-art hospital would make it a lot easier.”
Last week Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said he was trying to arrange a meeting with Health Minister Peter Dutton in a bid to secure $50 million from the Federal Government.
The State Government has already pledged $10 million to the project.
Caption for spill
Dr John Nevin, the acting head of UNE’s School of Rural Medicine
