Cairns Hospital


Cairns Hospital, known as the Cairns Base Hospital between 1932 and 2013, is the largest major hospital in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is located at 165 The Esplanade, Cairns North, Cairns. The hospital offers general service to Cairns' population of about 155,000 and other nearby communities. The building complex has a 667 space multi-storey car park with a pedestrian overpass linking it to the rest of the hospital.
In 2011, a shortage of beds for mental health patients meant some were staying for more than 100 hours in the emergency department.

History

On 3 March 1877, a meeting of residents in Cairns decided to establish a hospital, raising £75 in donations at the meeting and further £35 following the meeting. At that time, the nearest hospital was in Cooktown. In October 1877, the Queensland Government voted to contribute £200 towards a hospital in Cairns. By February 1878, a hospital had been established with a local correspondent describing it as follows:
"We have a commodious hospital here, nicely situated on the beach facing the north, but it seems that Cairns is so healthy that we can't find any inmates for it." 
In September 1884, the Queensland Government called for tenders for the construction of a new hospital for Cairns with the contract awarded in November 1883 to H. A. Leisner for £2218.
In 1908 a competition was held for architectural designs of the new Cairns District Hospital. The winner was a two-storey design by Harvey George Draper of Cairns. On 21 August 1910 the foundation stone was laid but it was not until November 1910 that the Queensland Government had negotiated a contract with John Thomas Bulcock to build the new hospital. The hospital was officially opened on 28 July 1912.

Redevelopment

In 2015, a $454.6 million redevelopment occurred at the hospital, including the introduction of an additional 168 beds. These works increased the total number of beds to 531. It also increased the number of operating theatres to 11.

Management

The hospital is currently being managed by a single administrator, Terry Mehan, after a 7-member board resigned in September 2016 over failure to recoup a $80 million budget deficit.

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