Community
21 March, 2023
Surgical centre site locked in
THE land for a new surgical centre as part of the $250 million Cairns Hospital expansion project has been revealed near the current hospital.
The 32-bed surgical centre will be built on the corner of Charles and Digger streets in Cairns North and will be adjacent to James Cook University’s Cairns Tropical Enterprise Centre (CTEC), which forms part of the Far North Queensland Health Innovation Precinct.
Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service (CHHHS) chief executive Leena Singh said “co-locating our surgical centre alongside JCU’s development makes perfect sense.
“It will help us retain local talent here in Cairns, and ultimately improve access to clinical services for Far North Queenslanders,” she said.
JCU vice chancellor Professor Simon Biggs said the centre “will stand alongside the university’s Cairns Tropical Enterprise Centre, which will accommodate teaching and research in medicine, allied health and related disciplines, and is due for completion in 2026”.
Cairns MP Michael Healy said it was part of the government expanding health services in the region, including the $26m expansion of the Emergency Department, and now the surgical centre site.
