Prime Minister Liz Truss appeared to duck the question of whether Norfolk's crumbling hospital would be replaced - despite warnings it will have to close in 2030, when parts of it will become too dangerous to use.
The under-fire PM defended her new government's plan to head off the recession despite the economic turmoil which has followed last week's mini budget.
There are fears the sinking pound and threat of a sharp rise in interest rates could mean massive cuts are needed to Whitehall budgets to balance the books.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, believed to be the most dilapidated in the country, is waiting to hear whether its bid for a £862m rebuild will be successful.
Asked whether the new hospital would still be going ahead, Ms Truss told BBC Radio Norfolk: "As a Norfolk MP, I have been working hard to see improvements and have seen the difficult situation with the roof.
"I hope the new health secretary, Theresa Coffey, will visit soon to see the situation and make sure that action is taken. She will be the one that delivers but I'm not making promises on her behalf."
It comes amid warnings from senior staff the building, the roof of which is help up by more than 1,500 props, will have to be abandoned altogether in 2030.
Alice Webster, acting chief executive at the hospital, said: “"We will continue to talk to the national NHS team about our case.
"I have not heard the interview but we would welcome a visit from any health secretary that wants to come through our doors and talk about the state of our building.
"Nothing has changed - the life of our building is still 2030 and we have made our case and just wait a response."
Before she was elected to the Tory leadership South West Norfolk MP Ms Truss, whose constituency is served by the QEH, said she was committed to building the 40 new hospitals promised by her predecessor Boris Johnson.
While the Lynn hospital was missed off a list of 32 schemes announced two years ago, it hopes it will be included in a list of eight further new builds. Preventing its roof from collapsing will cost £90m over the next three years.
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