This Petition of Shoalhaven citizens and visitors of the Shoalhaven of NSW

State that the Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital has no MRI machine, and the Shoalhaven region sit at 4th highest for Stroke risk. Plans for an MRI is around 2 years away and that there are plans for spending $434 million on a band aid upgrade of the hospital.

Your petitioners request that the House and NSW State Government will:

Immediately act to fund a Green fields site Hospital with Sustainable Construction design. Include :

 1. Fit-for-purpose Nuclear Medicine Dept at the Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital with specialist staff,  with expansion of neurology and stroke services.

2. Acute Mental Health Emergency Dept,  Separating General Emergency from Mental Health Acute Emergency presentations, given our high Mental Health presentations. Include In- house Detox Services to provide better health outcomes locally reducing patient relapses.

3. Include an Orthopaedic Ward, Cardiac Catheter Lab and CICU for our Cardiologists to Practice preventing Sydney journeys for our local residents as they age.

4. Upgrade ICU/Trauma and Emergency services and provide increase in staff to patient ratios.

Reject existing upgrade plans for the Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital and instead invest said millions  in a new Grade 5 Hospital for the Shoalhaven with the essential services that will serve the growing needs of the area into the 21st Century .Include Sustainable Construction Design Model for Future cost savings using solar, water saving capacity.
 Consider an Aboriginal Health Unit to provide Culturally appropriate services to our large Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Consider a Hospital Garden and Agricultural design to allow fresh hospital food to be provided locally, providing additional employment opportunities.

A Greenfields site will provide improved access and timely services for our growing population. The Strategic location from Central Nowra to a more Centralised location will encompass greater access for the Southern Shoalhaven regions. Adding to this the narrow roads and lack of space means the current Hospital expansion will cause traffic congestion and issues for Ambulance Emergencies.

The people of the Shoalhaven can see this vital infrastructure has potential to be an economic life line as we recover from the Covid economic impacts. It will provide much needed employment and opportunities for a growing sector to serve our aging community as well as our young.