The NSW government has added $90 million in funding for the north-western Sydney hospital for additional birthing services.
Comprehensive birthing services will now be included in the Rouse Hill Hospital development on top of the pre and post-natal services that were already planned.
The services will support projected massive population growth in the region over the next decade.
The north-western part of Western Sydney Local Health District is an area covering 120 suburbs across Blacktown, the Hills Shire, Cumberland and Parramatta that is expected to reach a population of one million in 2036.
“Planning and design for the additional maternity services will get underway immediately and delivery timeframes will be determined following the design process and award of a construction contract,” the NSW government told media.
The additional $90 million is on top of the initial $700 million committed for the hospital by the NSW government and the Federal Government’s $120 million commitment towards a birthing service at the hospital, announced in April during the election campaign.
“Thanks to the partnership between the Minns Labor Government and the Albanese Labor Government, north-west Sydney is finally getting the high-quality, local healthcare our community has needed for years,” said NSW deputy premier and minister for Western Sydney, Pru Car.
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“This region is one of the fastest growing in the country, and this investment in birthing and maternity services is vital in meeting the needs of local families now and into the future.”
Maternity services (or rather, a lack of them) have been in the spotlight recently, with private hospital services shutting down in NSW, Tasmania and the Northern Territory this year alone.
The federal government contributed $10 million in March to upgrade maternity services at Wyong and Gosford Hospitals on the Central Coast following the closure of maternity services at Gosford Private Hospital by private operator Healthe Care at the end of March and $6 million in February for Tasmanian maternity services after Healthscope closed its maternity services there in August last year.
Over the past six years, more than 10 private hospitals around the country have shut their maternity doors, blaming reduced demand for private services, a decline in the birth rate, insufficient funding and staff shortages.