The sight of concrete being poured to lay the foundation for the $53 million Gunnedah Hospital redevelopment has been welcomed by locals, advocates and health care workers in Gunnedah.

Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson MP said seeing the cement trucks on site at the hospital was welcome news after years of advocacy.

“The $53 million Gunnedah Hospital redevelopment is critically important to the future of healthcare in Gunnedah and surrounds,” Mr Anderson said.

"We worked incredibly hard to secure a $53 million commitment from Government to design and build a new hospital for Gunnedah, so it is extremely rewarding to see those works begin.

"The new hospital will include a new acute services building, housing an expanded emergency department and a modern birthing, maternity, and inpatient unit, which is welcome news for the Gunnedah community.

"While construction continues over the next year, I'm continuing to push the government to deliver the full master plan for the hospital.

"I know that services like renal and chemo are sorely needed in Gunnedah, and I'll continue to call on the government to deliver those promised services to the community."