Nova Scotia adds $11.5 million in funding for Dartmouth General Hospital expansion

Nova Scotia is spending another $11.5 million on expansions and renovations at Dartmouth General Hospital.

As announced on Tuesday by Health and Wellness Minister Randy Delorey, the money will be used to complete construction that has been underway on the fifth floor — to add 48 new beds, upgrade existing technology and expand parking.

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The project is part of the QEII New Generation Project which is a $2-billion long-term plan to upgrade health services in Metro Halifax.

The Dartmouth General Project was estimated to cost $140 million but the amount has now increased by another $11.47 million.

“The QEII generation project is really a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the way we deliver health care. It’s about improving access to health care, it’s about reducing wait times but it also helps us retain doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals,” said Delorey.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The QEII generation project is really a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the way we deliver health care. It's about improving access to health care, it's about reducing wait times but it also helps us retain doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals," said Delorey.

Its plan includes $8.58 million to go towards equipment, furniture, information technology and patient-care spaces.

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Dr. Alex Mitchell, the senior medical director of the QEII, says that these things are important for the growth of the hospital.

“It’s absolutely critical to have modern facilities to do more of the modern innovative techniques critical to the recruitment of modern young surgeons that are looking to do newer techniques that require newer technologies and also to invest in the kind of technologies that will take us into the next couple of decades,” said Mitchell.

WATCH: QEII redevelopment to cost $2B: Nova Scotia Government 

2:13 QEII redevelopment to cost $2B: province

In addition, $2.89 million will be used to demolish part of a provincially-owned warehouse at 10 Acadia St. next to Dartmouth General to increase parking for patients and staff.

“I think it’s stressful enough coming to the hospital without having to find a parking spot so part of this is to allow us to ensure that we have enough parking for all the people that come here so we are going to be taking a building down off to my left here and creating additional space,” said Dr. Todd Howlett, the site medical lead and co-lead of the hospital.

“We are also looking to change the parking so that staff would not be in the main lot. We would have staff parking, then we would prioritize the main lot for families and patients.

Construction is expected to be complete by the summer of 2019.