Gunnedah hospital promised by Kevin Anderson

Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson announced on Wednesday that $53 million would "transform health in the Gunnedah community" if a new hospital was built.

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He has pledged to build the hospital if re-elected on March 23.

"Were very excited to be able to work with these fabulous people in Gunnedah to rebuild [the hospital]," Mr Anderson said.

"We need to be able to provide the services, to provide everything they need, to give them the best health care closer to home in a state-of-the-art, 21st century hospital."

Gunnedah mayor Jamie Chaffey welcomed the announcement.

"This new hospital is the single biggest reason that we're going to see more people come into Gunnedah to fill some of the positions that we need," Cr Chaffey said.

"The hospital is critical for our growth.

"We need doctors, we need health professionals, just to sustain the employment that we have here."

Mr Anderson said a clinical services plan would be first on the agenda, prior to the start of construction.

"Therell be a six- to eight-month clinical services plan period, and then you look at whats required [for the hospital] and the money is there."

When asked why the announcement hadn't been made sooner, Mr Anderson said it was a funding issue.

"We haven't been able to get our hands on this funding before, but we've been pushing very hard and making small inroads on the way through," he said.

"Ive been at the table banging the drum for Gunnedah.

"We had to negotiate to get this amount of money and I'm really pleased to see that we've got it; it's on the table."

But NSW Nurses and Midwives Association's (NSWNMA) Gunnedah delegate Heather Franke said "a new building is no good if it is not staffed adequately".

"Gunnedah branch of the NSWNMA are adamant that the only way to provide safe patient care to our community is by the mandating of ratios across all NSW hospitals," Mrs Franke said in a statement to the NVI.

Mrs Franke and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party candidate Jeff Bacon have been working together for some time to see better nurse-to-patient ratios, and for a new hospital to built.

They recently began a petition for locals to sign for a new hospital.

Mr Bacon echoed Mrs Franke's concerns about Mr Anderson's announcement, and said this could be another "recycled election commitment".

"Rural health should be a priority for the government. It's a shame it takes pork-barreling at a state election to get the results," Mr Bacon said.

Upgrades for the hospital were completed in 2017 after a $2 million funding grant. This was delivered as a result of a partnership between Hunter New England Health (HNEH) and NSW Health Share.

The upgrades were completed in three stages - stage one was the replacement of the roof of the administration and community health block, stage two was the extension of the operating theatre and the Clinical Sterile Supply Department (CSSD), and stage three was the upgrade of the hospital kitchen.

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