Gympie needs a new hospital and it’s time to start planning
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INCUMBENT Gympie MP Tony Perrett has called for planning to begin on a replacement for Gympie's "awkwardly" placed hospital to ensure the region's growth does not outstrip its health capabilities.
Prompted by a question about the future of the region's health services following the closure of the city's private hospital, and the pressure this put on the region's ageing population, Mr Perrett said a new health centre was imperative.
He said the hospital served the community well for more than a century at its Henry St home, but the location limited its future and posed challenges for those it was there to help.
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"You look at the car park, you look at the hills around it and you look at the elderly that struggle to get into it; it is very poor," Mr Perrett said.
"The planning and the thinking needs to start for a new hospital.
"As we see the population grow in this region … we need to look at a greenfield (undeveloped) site for a new hospital.
"That's a reality.
"A lot of the infrastructure … served (the community) very, very well for a long period of time."
"But the hospital, it's constrained and it's very awkward."
