The 350-strong membership of the Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) Medical Staff Council (MSC) will bolster its opposition to the New South Wales government’s grossly under-funded and exceedingly flawed hospital redevelopment plans tomorrow (Wednesday, March 16), at an extraordinary staff meeting to be held in the Kolling Institute auditorium at 1pm.

With the NSW election 10 days away, senior clinicians will use this speaking platform as a last ditch attempt to counter three major shortcomings of the hospital redevelopment plan, including the ‘bed block bedlam’ currently wreaking havoc on the hospital. They will also clarify recent misleading claims made by prominent NSW politicians regarding the promised allocation of “closer to 100 new beds” for the hospital.

According to Dr Tony Joseph, Chair of the RNSH MSC, the proposed $1 billion redevelopment of RNSH will result in, at best, only 14 additional acute adult medical and surgical beds.

“The extra ‘100 beds’ touted for the hospital by NSW politicians does not account for the current use of treatment rooms and transit lounges used regularly now to accommodate patients.

“This figure also incorporates bassinettes, special care nursery beds for newborn babies, some mental health beds and X-ray trolleys, which are obviously not available to acutely unwell adult medical and surgical patients,” said Dr Joseph.

VIVA! wishes RNSH MSC the best of luck with their plight.