Liberal candidate for Mount Gambier Ben Hood has dismissed as “empty promises” a SA Labor commitment that if elected the Blue Lake city’s hospital would undergo a multi-million-dollar upgrading

State Labor Leader Peter Malinauskas visited Mount Gambier last week and pledged a raft of health funding commitments if his party won government at the March 19 State Election.

The centrepiece of a $57.2m Limestone Coast Health funding policy would be a $23.9 upgrade of the Mount Gambier Hospital.

Mr Malinauskas said the investment would include an $8m upgrade to the facility’s emergency department, $11.2m to double the mental health unit with an additional six beds and $4.7m to fit-out and operate two dedicated drug and alcohol detox beds.

However, Mr Hood was sceptical of the proposed cash splash.

“This is exactly what we can expect from Labor during this election campaign, the empty promise of loads of cash that will ultimately never come,” Mr Hood said.

“We should never forget that Mr Malinauskas was the Labor Minister for Health who oversaw the disastrous Transforming Health debacle.

“That ‘reform’ saw regional health slashed and services pulled back to Adelaide. Surely no one in our region could believe Mr Malinauskas will make regional health a priority.

“There is always more work to be done to supporting in regional health services but I note the Marshall Liberal Government, in its first term of government has outspent Labor on regional health five to one courtesy of additional $200m commitment to regional health infrastructure including the new renal unit at the Mount Gambier Hospital.”