Royal Darwin Hospital

History

The first hospital of the settlement of Palmerston (later Darwin) was built in 1874. The hospital was built on Packard Street overlooking Doctors Gully under the authority of Dr James Millner. By 1878, the hospital was improved with stone. During the next 40 years, the hospital was administered by South Australia. In 1911, the Commonwealth Government assumed control. Construction of an 89-bed hospital fronting Lambell Terrace commenced in 1941 to cater for the Darwin area population of 4,000. The new hospital opened 2 February 1942 and was bombed just 17 days later during the Bombing of Darwin.

Prior to Cyclone Tracy in 1974, approval had been given for the construction, based on the Woden Hospital design, of Casuarina Hospital on Rocklands Drive in the northern suburb of Tiwi. Casuarina Hospital became fully operational on 20 May 1980. On 1 January 1982, the Casuarina Hospital name was changed to Darwin Hospital. Following the Royal Assent on 10 January 1984, the hospital became Royal Darwin Hospital.

Future

During 2003, The Royal Darwin Hospital underwent a $43 million major redevelopment which has seen the construction of a new Emergency Department, a new expanded Intensive Care, Coronary Care, an Operating Theatre suite, a new Imaging Department and a 12-bed Hospice.

The Royal Darwin Hospital is also home of the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre funded by the Australian Government after the hospital's efforts associated with the Bali Bombings in October 2002.

Services

Royal Darwin Hospital is the largest hospital in the Northern Territory, and employs over 1500 people. Some of the services at the hospital are Anaesthetics, Cardiology, Emergency, Intensive Care and Surgery, Medicine, Pathology and Radiology and many other services.

Royal Darwin also fosters relationships with Darwin's other hospitals, including the Darwin Private Hospital.