The Queensland Government’s Hospital Rescue Plan (HRP) will deliver more than 2,600 extra hospital beds, including three new hospitals and 10 major hospital expansions across Queensland.
This plan follows the independent review into health infrastructure planning and delivery and will become the blueprint for health infrastructure for all our health services.
The Rescue Plan includes Mackay Hospital Expansion Project (MHEP), Multi-Storey Car park (including helipad) Project (MSCP) and Mackay Birth Centre.
Together, these three significant projects will assist in delivering better healthcare closer to home for those across our diverse and ever-growing Mackay region.
We’re expanding Mackay Base Hospital to improve patient flow and care. The upgrades include more beds to meet growing demand and bring care closer to home.
These changes will also give our staff better facilities to provide safe, high-quality care.
Mackay Hospital Expansion Project
Stage one early works on the Mackay Hospital Expansion Project (MHEP) are in progress and nearing completion. These works include site remediation, the installation of storm water drainage and support beams for the new building footings. On completion, the stage one contractor will demobilise off-site in readiness for stage two works.
Stage two involves rigorous health planning using historical data and trend projections to ensure that what is built now is the best outcome for our health service.
The new wing will include:
Multi-storey car park and helipad
Consultation on Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) for the proposed multi-storey car park was held 13 June to 14 July 2025, with community and stakeholders invited to submit feedback. The MID process is now being finalised. Feedback from the MID will be collated and shared in the coming months.
Expressions of interest to construct the multi-storey car park have been sought from many suppliers. Requests for offers will be sought from interested parties that demonstrate the capacity to construct the car park. Once a contract has been secured, feedback from the MID and further engagement with near neighbours will be undertaken and considered in the detailed design.
Planning is also underway for the provision of temporary car parking arrangements for staff, visitors and patients while the multi-storey car park is constructed. More information on these arrangements will be shared as the project develops.
The proposed car park will provide an additional 550 new spaces to cater for patients, their families, visitors, and hospital staff, and the relocation of the helipad to the car park roof.
The proposed scope includes:
Mackay Birth Centre
Planning for the new Mackay Birth Centre continues with the identification of a suitable off-site location underway. The new facility will provide the Birth Centre’s model of midwifery care to women with low-risk pregnancies in a home-like environment.
The Birth Centre model of care continues to be offered in a dedicated birthing suite in Mackay Base Hospital’s Women’s Health Unit. Women interested in birthing with the Birth Centre should follow the usual process by calling 07 4885 6933.
We’ve worked with the community to help plan this expansion. Patients and carers gave feedback on layout and travel during the design phase.
We’re also working with First Nations and Australian South Sea Islander peoples to protect cultural heritage.
As we grow and finish our expansion, we’ll need more staff members to join our team. We'll have jobs across areas including nursing, medicine, allied health and support services.
You can search our current vacancies or register your interest for future jobs when our hospital expansion opens.
Learn more about careers with us.
We are committed to keeping our near neighbors, community and stakeholders informed of progress and milestones. Regular updates will be provided via our website and social media channels as the expansion progresses.
For queries, you can contact us via mackaybasehospitalexpansion@health.qld.gov.au.