Delivering a healthy WA - 300 new beds for public hospital system

21/12/04
The State Government has bought two private hospitals to increase bed numbers in the public health system and reduce waiting lists for elective surgery.
Health Minister Jim McGinty said the Government had purchased the 95-bed Kaleeya Hospital in East Fremantle for $15.8million and the 61-bed Galliers Private Hospital in Armadale for $15.3million.
Mr McGinty said the State's booming economy meant the Government had the $31million needed to buy the two hospitals complete with beds, theatres and medical equipment.
"This is an excellent deal financially for the State and an even better deal for the health of Western Australians," he said.
"To build two hospitals from scratch would cost approximately double what we are spending and take several years so this is a wonderful outcome for the public hospital system.
"The extra 156-beds at Kaleeya and Galliers will help take pressure off other hospitals and emergency departments, especially during the peak winter period."
Settlement on both hospitals will be in January, 2005.
The Minister said the Government had also allocated $16.5million this month to fund an extra 130 beds in existing metropolitan hospitals.
Additional beds would be leased from private hospitals if necessary to cope with demand during the winter months.
These initiatives, combined with the latest acquisitions, would increase total bed numbers by more than 300 next year.
Mr McGinty said the Kaleeya Private Hospital had recently undergone an $8million refurbishment that included a five-theatre operating suite, a high dependency unit, an endoscopy centre and an extensive physiotherapy department with gymnasium and hydrotherapy pool.
The hospital's theatre facilities would allow doctors to perform additional day surgery procedures such as endoscopies and cataract removals.
The Minister said the purchase of the two-year-old Galliers Private Hospital had shown that the Liberal Government's policy of privatising hospitals had been a failure and resulted in ongoing litigation.
"The Labor Government has now been able to settle all legal action and put the hospital back into public hands where it belongs," he said.
Mr McGinty said the extra beds would boost the capability of the adjacent Armadale-Kelmscott public hospital to cope with emergencies, maternity services and additional elective surgery.
As well as the 61 beds, the Galliers hospital has three delivery rooms and medical consulting suites to service the growing demand for public health services in the southern corridor.
Expectant mothers and their babies in the South Eastern suburbs will be big winners with the excellent Galliers obstetric facilities now being available to both public and private patients.
The Minister said all permanent staff at both private hospitals would be offered employment in the public hospital system.
The two new public hospitals south of the river would complement the planned 600-bed Southern Tertiary Hospital.
Mr McGinty said the Labor Government had been steadily building up bed numbers in public hospitals after more than 500 beds were taken out of the public system during the 1990s.
"The economy is booming and the State is in a strong financial position so we can invest in our health system," he said.
"Labor is committed to improving the public hospital system unlike Colin Barnett's Liberals who put health care on the sick list with their policy of privatisation."
Minister's office: 9220 5000