00:00Crevices that could be a haven for pests and fat, oil and waste water pooling under the floor.
00:10A report obtained under freedom of information laws shows how Palmerston Regional Hospital's kitchen failed food safety standards.
00:18If the kitchen floor is damaged then what's happening with the other floors.
00:22We need to prove that the operating theatre floors, the emergency department floors are intact and safe from risks like problems with infection control.
00:29At this stage business will continue as usual at the Palmerston Hospital. There's no indication that any other areas of the hospital are at risk.
00:39But the Department of Logistics and Infrastructure has confirmed two more areas need work.
00:44If a floor is damaged this early in the piece from its construction, if I was NT Health I'd be asking for my money back.
00:51When Lendlease finished building the hospital it obtained an occupation certificate including a hygiene certificate confirming the hospital had met all relevant requirements under the building codes.
01:03It did replace another section of flooring at its own expense in 2023 before the department stepped in to assess a range of other flooring issues.
01:12But it's taxpayers footing the bill for the almost $400,000 kitchen floor replacement because the liability period has elapsed.
01:21Palmerston Regional Hospital only opened to patients in 2018 with an estimated $206 million construction bill.
01:29Just 30 minutes from the region's other hospital it was once described as a white elephant and a complete waste of money.
01:36But now some say any disruptions to its work are unaffordable.
01:41There's a huge amount of work that goes through there, through the operating theatres, through the outpatient clinics.
01:46Any areas that would have to be shut down to facilitate repairs would be a risk for health in the NT. We need that service.
01:54NT Health keen to stress there's so far been no impact on patient care or clinical services.
02:00A costly predicament for a health system already under pressure.
02:08Thank you so much for joining us.
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