The Mersey Hospital is a

public hospital A public hospital, or government hospital, is a hospital which is government owned and is fully funded by the government and operates solely off the money that is collected from taxpayers to fund healthcare initiatives. In some countries, this typ ...

at Latrobe near Devonport in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. Like the

North West Regional Hospital North West Regional Hospital is the primary healthcare facility for the North Western region of Tasmania. Like the Mersey Community Hospital, it is operated by the Tasmanian Health Service - North West Region, which is part of the Tasmanian g ...

, it is operated by the Tasmanian Health Service - North West Region, which is part of the Tasmanian government's

Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

History

Under the Tasmanian Government's 2007 plan to reform its health system, the Mersey campus was to be downgraded with certain care services transferred to Burnie. On 1 August 2007, the Australian prime minister announced Australian Government would guarantee the continued funding of a wide range of in-patient and out-patient services at the Mersey campus, and support its re-establishment as a Mersey Community Hospital, managed by a community-controlled and federally funded trust. The Australian Government's announced intention is that the hospital continue to provide a full range of services. Reaction to the announcement was mixed. There was support from the local community and some staff at the hospital. However senior medical clinicians and medical policy specialists expressed concern. Political commentators were generally cynical, noting that the 'takeover' was to occur in the

Division of Braddon The Division of Braddon is an Australian electoral division in the state of Tasmania. The current MP is Gavin Pearce of the Liberal Party, who was elected at the 2019 federal election. Braddon is a rural electorate covering approximately ...

, the most marginal government-held federal electorate in Tasmania. On 20 August 2007, the Tasmanian Government agreed to sell the hospital for a nominal $1.00, subject to a number of conditions. The Commonwealth assumed ownership of the Mersey Community Hospital from the Tasmanian Government on 23 November 2007. From 1 September 2008, the Hospital is owned by the Commonwealth and operated by the Tasmanian Government.

References

{{Authority control Hospitals in Tasmania Hospitals with year of establishment missing Devonport, Tasmania