New South Wales Government plan to sell off hospital land is short sighted

Australian Medical Association (NSW) believes the NSW Government plan to sell off state-owned hospital land to fund hospital building projects is very short sighted.

State President Dr John Gullotta said land sales would help raise money now, but to the detriment of future generations.

“Many major hospitals already need expansion or renovation. Selling off land to fund the current hospital system with no thought to the future is foolish. In years to come will we be paying hundreds of millions of dollars to buy land for new facilities?” he said.

“The public hospital campuses in metropolitan areas that would be appealing to developers have little spare land. The suggestion that they have excess land that could be leased or sold for residential or commercial development is laughable.

“Royal North Shore Hospital is really the only inner metropolitan hospital with room for growth, but the government wants to carve up the property.”

The government is also looking at private contracts for supplying linen and food and for long-term contracts for companies to build, own and operate health facilities. Dr Gullotta said that if companies felt there was money to be made, that would be to the detriment of tax payers.

“Surely it would make more sense for NSW Health staff to efficiently deliver services? The suggestion of private companies in charge of financial management is also fraught with danger. They would be more interested in the bottom line than patient care,” he said.

“The AMA also wants to be sure that this is not some sort of election gimmick to simply help Labor at a federal level, before being quietly forgotten after the election,” said Dr Gullotta.