On Sunday, the Canberra Hospital celebrated 50 years providing health care to the Canberra community.
The Canberra Hospital, originally known as Woden Valley Hospital, officially opened on 24 September 1973. Since then, it has become the largest general hospital in the ACT and surrounding NSW region.
ACT health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the milestone was an important opportunity to thank everyone who has worked at the hospital over the last 50 years.
“From those on the frontline, day and night providing care when it’s needed, through to the quiet achievers, often unseen, who keep the wheels turning in the background, we say thank you,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
“The Canberra Hospital continues to make an enormous contribution to our community, providing essential health care that Canberrans and their families rely on.”
In 1973 when the Canberra Hospital opened its doors, the hospital had 36 beds, 175 staff members, and served a population of around 172,000.
Fifty years later, the Canberra Hospital has more than 650 beds, and is the only tertiary hospital between Sydney and Melbourne. Thousands of staff are on the campus at any time of the day or night, caring for more than 650,000 people from the ACT and surrounding region.
“This golden milestone is happening at a time of great transformation,” Ms Stephen-Smith said. “The Canberra Hospital Master Plan [is] being progressed to ensure the hospital continues to support the needs of the community into the future.
“The new Critical Services Building will open next year, delivering more emergency, surgical and critical care, with a brand-new emergency department, more operating theatres, and more intensive care beds.
“The Critical Services Building is just one of many infrastructure projects happening across the Canberra Hospital campus, including the expansion of the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, upgrades to Pharmacy and Medical Imaging services, and a new cancer research centre.
“These upgrades in equipment and infrastructure will help to ensure our dedicated teams can continue to provide high-quality care to support the health of our region for many years to come.”
Susan Gladwish, a nurse who began as a trainee in August 1973 and retired in 2022, marked 49 years at Canberra Hospital. She said she was proud of her career there.
“After undertaking my six weeks of training in 1973, I worked on a geriatric ward providing basic nursing care,” Mrs Gladwish said. “It was a much quieter hospital than it is now. And of course there were no computers; everything was handwritten.
“I am most proud of my career as a midwife, and still get women in the shops coming up to me saying lovely things about my care. It was a pleasure to make such an impact on them on one of the most important days in their life. I am very proud of setting up and establishing the very first Maternity Assessment Unit in Canberra in 2012, a walk-in unit for pregnant women.”
