New health secretary Steve Barclay has toured west Norfolk's crumbling hospital to see conditions endured by patients and staff.
But the North East Cambridgeshire MP, who has previously spoken out in support of the campaign to rebuild the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, would not be drawn on whether it would be replaced.
Mr Barclay officially opened the new West Norfolk Eye Centre at the QEH, which was built with £3m of government funding.
He then toured the hospital and discussed its proposals for an £862m new-build on what is currently the hospital's main car park.
Mr Barclay met members of the QEH estates team, who are working around the clock to ensure the safety of the hospital. He also spoke to staff and patients on the Trust’s Necton Ward, where props are holding up the ceiling.
Laura Skaife-Knight, deputy chief executive at the hospital said: “This much-needed capital injection has led to the West Norfolk Eye Centre, a new frailty unit and refurbished maternity unit opening to our patients – which is improving the experience of our patients, their families and staff.
“That said, we must not lose sight of the fact that this investment is not extending the life of the hospital beyond the 2030 deadline, and ultimately a new hospital is the only sustainable long-term solution for QEH and the provision of healthcare in King’s Lynn and west Norfolk."
North West Norfolk MP James Wild said: "The QEH has a compelling case to be selected as part of the new hospitals programme to deliver facilities fit for the future, rather than being an unplanned cost that will have to be met."
The QEH, which opened in the early 1980s, was built from prefabricated planks with an expected working life of 30 years.
But the building is still in use more than four decades later and the roof now has to be supported by more than 1,500 props to prevent if from collapsing.
The hospital was not included on the government's list of 40 new hospitals announced almost two years ago and is now anxiously waiting to see whether it will be one of eight further schemes.
Mr Barclay became health secretary following the resignation of Sajid Javid amid the collapse of Boris Johnson's premiership two weeks ago.
He had previously pledged to support the campaign for a new Lynn hospital.
Mr Barclay is the third minister to visit the QEH in little over a year. He has yet to comment on his visit.
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