Health Minister Brad Hazzard "100 per cent on board" in funding push for Port Macquarie Base Hospital upgrades

Brad Hazzard has three areas in his sights after touring the Wrights Road hospital with Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams, and speaking with staff on Wednesday, February 1.

They are an expanded emergency department, a renewed maternity unit and a third linear accelerator at the Mid North Coast Cancer Institute Port Macquarie.

He said an expanded emergency department was needed.

"The staff and the patients deserve an expanded emergency department and it is needed because of the expanding population," Mr Hazzard said.

He said there was no doubt that renewed maternity facilities were needed and he was very keen to get that done.

A third linear accelerator also had to be on the agenda to increase capacity, Mr Hazzard said.

A linear accelerator is a machine used to deliver radiotherapy treatment to cancer patients.

Mr Hazzard's visit comes a week after the NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet toured the Wrights Road facility.

The Premier asked the Health Minister to visit the hospital.

"Seeing it firsthand means I can now go back and argue the case with NSW Health and Treasury about getting the necessary money to do what I think is necessary," Mr Hazzard said.

The Health Minister said he was 100 per cent on board.

"It is absolutely, in my view, necessary, and thus far, every time I have in my six years gone back to health and the ministry, no matter where it was in the state, to say I am now 100 per cent on board with this, the money has come," he said.

"So I would be 99.9 per cent certain the money will come and it will come as soon as I can get it."

Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams, who is also the Liberal candidate for Port Macquarie, thanked hospital staff for their incredible work over such a challenging couple of years.

"What I really wanted the Premier to see last week, and now the Health Minister to see, is that we have additional challenges here in Port Macquarie and that is because we are one of the fastest growing communities on the east coast," she said.

Medical oncologist at Mid North Coast Cancer Institute Port Macquarie, Dr Stephen Begbie, said the cancer institute had been a fantastic resource for the community over the past 14 years.

He said not only a third linear accelerator was needed but also more space for intravenous treatments and more space for new consultants and their registrars to see patients.

"If we get those sort of resources, this will remain, as it has been, amongst the most popular community resources in NSW," Dr Begbie said.

Obstetrics and gynaecology clinical director Dr Fiona Leslie said maternity unit staff worked incredibly hard with a constant focus on the wellbeing of mums and bubs.

The maternity unit has three birthing beds, 19 ward beds, a clinic space and special care nursery.

"Our staff are working tirelessly to provide really high quality care, and with a newer revamped, bigger unit we would be able to provide even better care, so we are really grateful for Minister Hazzard's time today," Dr Leslie said.

Hastings Macleay network director for emergency medicine Dr Dawn Martin said the emergency department team provided excellent care but there had been staffing crises due to COVID and the community had expanded.

"It's difficult to come to work every day knowing that you are working your hardest to give your best care but patients aren't being seen in the ideal scenarios and situations, and that is a space issue," she said.

Some of that space is being taken up by patients remaining in the emergency department while they wait for inpatient beds.

The emergency department has 16 acute beds, three resuscitation beds and a fast-track screening area.

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