The Hon. Bronnie Taylor, Minister for Regional Health and Women (NSW), Media Release, 27 February 2023
Families from across the Snowy Monaro will benefit from enhanced maternity facilities with the Minister for Regional Health and Women Bronnie Taylor and Member for Monaro Nichole Overall joining local health workers to officially open the new Maternity Department at Cooma Hospital.
The completion of the new maternity department brings the $24 million Cooma Hospital Redevelopment one step closer to completion.
Mrs Taylor said the opening of the new maternity department at Cooma Hospital is about ensuring mums, and their new babies can access the health care they need, closer to home.
“As a Registered Nurse who spent most of my career working here at Cooma Hospital, today is such an exciting day for our community, and I am so thrilled to see the new maternity unit and emergency department now complete,” Mrs Taylor said.
“The new maternity unit boasts high-quality, modern facilities in well-equipped rooms, filled with natural light. One of the two new birthing rooms includes a new birthing bath which will provide women with more choice during the delivery of their baby.”
Mrs Overall said the new maternity unit is another example of a top class maternity facility in the Monaro region for the communities this hospital provides essential services to.
“The location of the department has improved connections with other departments in the hospital including the emergency department and operating theatres, ensuring our excellent maternity staff here in Cooma can continue to provide outstanding care for new parents and their families,” Mrs Overall said.
“This comes in addition to the recently opened Emergency Department, new $700,000 CT scanner and the lifesaving Telestroke Service.”
Work to deliver a refurbished new ambulatory care centre including refurbishment of the pathology service and an expansion of the medical imaging department is also underway and expected to be completed later this year.
The Cooma Hospital redevelopment is part of the NSW Government’s record $11.9 billion investment in health infrastructure over four years to 2025-26, with nearly a third of the capital allocation in this financial year going towards regional and rural health facilities.
Since 2011, the NSW Government has delivered more than 180 health capital works projects across NSW, with more than 130 projects currently underway – of those, more than 90 are in rural and regional areas.
