Townsville Health Services Hub
The Townsville Health Services sector could provide a significant boost to the Townsville economy, as a consortium of health service specialists seek to raise $19 million from medical specialists to build a one-stop health specialist hub at the Mater Hospital site in Pimlico.
Reports in the Townsville Bulletin identify that the new medical centre could be delivered by 2021 under a new agreement with Mater Health Services.
Land owned by the Mater Hospital behind the existing Pimlico campus has been identified for the $19 million project. The investment is being led by a consortium of doctors who will secure investment from medical specialists to raise capital.
Commenting to the Townsville Bulletin, Townsville Specialist Suites director and neurologist Dr Craig Costello said the North Queensland Specialist Centre would be “ideally positioned” to become the leading one-stop specialist hub in Northern Australia.
“Townsville, like many other regional areas in Australia, is under-represented in speciality fields,” he said.
“A centre like (this) will become an attractive option for specialists to come to regional centres and practice in Townsville in the longer term.”
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Dr Costello said he had reached out to 200 accredited specialists within Mater’s North Queensland business but would also be speaking to colleagues further afield.
The Lothair St site will have a strong focus on research and training for medical students studying at James Cook University.
Dr Costello said “absolutely without a doubt” the new centre would make Townsville an attractive place for medical students to do their traineeships.
The specialist centre is part of stage two of Mater Health Services ten-year masterplan.
Stage one, a four-storey $52 million building, is set to open in mid-2020 and will deliver a new X-Ray facility with the latest imaging technology, new digital operating theatres, a new modern day surgery unit and new hospital entrance.
Mater chief executive Gerard Wyvill said he expected hundreds of construction jobs to be created as part of stage two of the project.
“It’s a self-funding development from the hospital’s perspective, while Mater will contribute the land, each individual specialist or doctor associated with the Mater will have the opportunity to buy in,” he said.
Dr Costello said Townsville Specialist Suites had hired local professional services like Counterpoint Architects and accounting firm PVW Partners to support additional jobs.
Townsville Specialist Suits will lodge development applications with council once investment discussions are finalised in the next few months.
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