Canberra Hospital

Canberra Hospital is a public hospital located in Garran, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. It is a tertiary level centre with 672 beds and caters to a population of about 550,000. It was formed when the Woden Valley Hospital and the Royal Canberra Hospital were amalgamated in 1991, and was renamed Canberra Hospital in 1996.It is the major teaching hospital for the Australian National University Medical School. It is also a teaching hospital for the University of Canberra's School of Nursing. Furthermore, the hospital has strong links with the John Curtin School of Medical Research. The hospital is also a major regional centre for Clinical Pastoral Education, offering courses through the Canberra and Region Centre for Spiritual Care and Clinical Pastoral Education in association with the Sydney College of Divinity and New South Wales College of Clinical Pastoral Education.HistoryIn May 1914 the Canberra Community Hospital, the first hospital for Canberra, was opened in Balmain Crescent, Acton with eight beds. Tents were used to supplement the isolation ward. There were no obstetric facilities and obstetrics patients had to travel to the Queanbeyan hospital.