Coraki hospital decision to come

THE people of Coraki will know by the end of the month whether their hospital will re-open.

That's when the Northern NSW Health District Board will meet to consider the findings of a complete review of the hospital's infrastructure.

Chief executive of the health board, Chris Crawford has refused to guarantee the Campbell Hospital would re-open, saying he would not pre-empt the review.

"We need to find out the state the structure is in, then make decisions on that basis," he said.

The 14-bed hospital was closed in September after the roof was damaged in a storm.

The hospital was further damaged in another storm the following month.

"The (health district board) is obliged to provide infrastructure that is conducive to the delivery of safe patient care," Mr Crawford said.

"Given that three storms within an 18-month period have caused significant damage to the hospital's infrastructure, it was considered that the whole of the hospital's infrastructure should be reviewed to ensure that it is in a robust and safe condition.

"Therefore, a structural engineer and a building code consultant have been commissioned to do a complete review of the hospital's infrastructure.

"Once this review is completed, a report on the outcome of the review will be submitted to the board for its consideration."

Mr Crawford said the report was expected to be completed within the next few weeks.

He said it would go to the February board meeting towards the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Page MP Janelle Saffin has called on the board to give a public reassurance about the status of Campbell Hospital in Coraki.

SHOULD CORAKI PEOPLE CONTINUE TO HAVE A HOSPITAL IN THEIR TOWN?

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