Dubbo Hospital’s renal unit will make way for the construction of its $35 million integrated cancer centre.
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General manager Debbie Bickerton reports that the renal unit will be re-established at the clinical services building, the major component of the hospital’s $91.3 million stage one and two redevelopment.
She said the new renal unit would be built above the ground-level day surgery and extended day surgery units.
The move will allow for the demolition of the existing renal unit and former surgical theatre block at the south-west side of the hospital campus, and provide a building site for the cancer centre.
Ms Bickerton is keen to see the new renal unit “delivered before the end of stage four redevelopment” in about 2020.
She wants the cancer centre and stage four redevelopment’s showpiece, a three-storey clinical tower, “built at the same time”.
The state government has committed $150 million to stage three and four redevelopment.
Stage three work includes the current construction of a new surgical inpatient unit on top of the maternity unit at the clinical services building.
On Tuesday Ms Bickerton led a team of hospital executives through the yet-to-be-completed unit that may receive patients as early as April.
Later, she visited a stage three project that has been named after the first paediatrician to work in Dubbo.
Formerly the hospital’s old maternity unit, the Ian Locke Building has benefited from major refurbishment.
“Medical records are on the ground floor and on the top floor are all the offices, education rooms and library that were previously in the George Hatch Building,” Ms Bickerton said.
The George Hatch Building is scheduled for demolition next year as part of stage four redevelopment construction of the three-storey clinical tower.
Health Infrastructure reports that the “project team is currently reviewing tenders and the contract will be awarded shortly.”
Hansen Yuncken won the tender to build the new surgical inpatient ward at the clinical services building.
Ms Bickerton said construction of the clinical tower in the south-east corner of the hospital campus would involve knocking down existing units one by one.
A new medical imaging unit and emergency department will take up much of its ground level while ambulatory care will be on level one.
An intensive care and high-dependency unit, cardiovascular unit and cardiac catheterisation laboratory will be on level two.
