Media Release
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Save Mona Vale Hospital
Media Release
February 29, 2020
NSW Govt should seize chance to reopen Mona Vale Emergency for Corona Virus
The threat of a corona virus pandemic should provide extra impetus to reopen Mona Vale Hospital’s emergency ward following the release this week of a parliamentary report calling for its reinstatement.
Emergency doctors yesterday warned that Australia’s hospital emergency departments operate either at or over capacity, so they would struggle to cope if a corona virus pandemic eventuates here.
Save Mona Vale Hospital chairman Parry Thomas said the risk of a pandemic increased the urgency to reopen Mona Vale’s emergency department.
The NSW Upper House Inquiry into the “Operation and management of the Northern Beaches Hospital”, released its report on Thursday, calling for the return of the emergency department and halt to demolition at the hospital once asbestos removal is complete.
Mr Thomas said Sydney no longer has an infectious diseases hospital so that the government now has a unique opportunity to set up an isolation unit at Mona Vale.
“It’s very lucky they haven’t pulled it down,” Mr Thomas told Pittwater Online News.
“It’s a logical step as we have an empty hospital – it wouldn’t take a huge amount of time, money or effort to bring it back on line as an acute hospital.
“It’s a big opportunity and the government should run with it as fast as they can because if they move now they have a chance to be ready.
“If China can build two hospitals in two weeks from scratch, surely we can bring Mona Vale back on line in time to provide acute beds in a potential pandemic.”