The WA Liberal party has vowed to completely rebuild Perth Royal Hospital if elected, with an $80 million initial investment in what they describe as the state’s “shamefully neglected” healthcare facilities in WA.
On Saturday, Liberals leader Libby Mettam announced plans to “get Western Australia’s hospital services and facilities back up to a world-class standard”.
“Our initial investment of $80 million in our first term of Government will enable the planning and initial site works for a staged full rebuild of RPH,” she said.
“By re-election, the Liberals will turn RPH into a contemporary and environmentally friendly hospital, trauma centre and healthcare precinct.”
Mettam said the plan was the foundation of the Liberals’ pledge to mend our ailing healthcare system.
“This investment will ensure a well-thought-out, financially responsible approach, rather than the election-driven piecemeal approach that’s been adopted by the WA Labor,” she said.
The age of some of the buildings and the patchwork nature of the campus means that no amount of makeshift additions, adjustments and expansions will elevate Royal Perth Hospital to a standard that will meet the needs of our expanding population.
Some buildings are older than a hundred years, which is causing inefficiencies, limited capacity and making it hard to integrate modern technology and clinical care.
Mettam said there’d be a 36 per cent increase in emergency presentations over the next decade.
“This is all about planning for the future and delivering a decade-long plan to fix the health issues that the Labor party has struggled with,” she said.
New South Wales Environment Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson labelled it a “shamefully incomplete plan” that won’t begin until 2029.
“Fair dinkum, this is a plan for a plan and the Libs have a ripper of a track record for Royal Perth Hospital,” she said.
“They said they’d deliver it back in 2008, but they still haven’t come good yet.”
They said they’d deliver it in 2013, but it didn’t happen.
“Now they’re promising it for a third time. This is the Ellenbrook rail line equivalent to the hospital system for the Liberal Party. It’s a broken promise, and they’ve lost any credibility when it comes to delivering health infrastructure in Western Australia.”
Sanderson said there was no plan to keep providing critical emergency services at the hospital while “turning it into a building site”.
“Unlike that, WA Labor’s plan will straight away increase the emergency department and provide up to 50 new treatment areas, and we’ll get that work underway in the first budget of a re-elected government,” she said.
That’ll give an immediate boost to treatment spaces. As part of that plan, we’re also providing $7 million for the master planning of the site.
“It’s a pretty tricky spot, and it does need a revamp, but it’s got to be done with care, and we’ve got to make sure we’re not knocking anything out of whack while we’re at it.”
