Last week member for Bega, Andrew Constance told the News Weekly that it should be ready to go “late February or early March”.

At the community meeting on the future of maternity services at Pambula hospital, chair of the board of the Southern NSW Local Health District, Eve Bosak, told the 300-strong meeting that the air conditioning would be going in during the Christmas/New Year period.

But in June this year, Mr Constance said that he hoped to see the matter “well and truly finalised within three months”.

The installation, when it finally happens, will pave the way for ophthalmic surgery to start at Pambula hospital.

Mr Constance told the News Weekly: “I have spoken to the ophthalmologist and he is set to go. Once the air conditioning is in they can set up.”

Ms Bosak told the News Weekly: “The project commenced on schedule on December 14 as planned. This is a complex project involving considerable preparatory work followed by decommissioning and removal of existing systems, installation of new systems and final reconstruction works. The project is scheduled to take around nine weeks to complete and is running according to the project plan.”

Perceived slippage of the timelines for the installation of the all-important air conditioning has been a source of frustration for the community and the Save Our Hospital Inc (SOHI) campaign group who felt that the delays were holding back the development of Pambula hospital and particularly theatre services.

President of SOHI, Sharon Tapscott said: “They have dragged their heels on this along with everything else.”

Speaking in December last year, Mr Constance said: “For whatever reason, it’s taken too long but now the contract has been awarded and it will be installed in January. The board needs to make sure that ophthalmology is ready to go as soon as the air conditioning is installed.”