New deal for health - general hospital for southern suburbs

12/4/04
The overhaul of Western Australia's hospitals has begun, just weeks after the Reid Health Reform Committee recommended sweeping changes to the health system.
Premier Geoff Gallop and Health Minister Jim McGinty today announced that the Rockingham/Kwinana District Hospital would be the first to receive a multi-million-dollar capital works upgrade.
"We are committed to providing more hospital beds in the areas of greatest need," Dr Gallop said.
"Projected growth for Rockingham, Kwinana and surrounding areas, identified as the southern corridor in the Health Reform Committee's (HRC) report, shows an increase in the population of about 65,000 people by 2016."
To cater for that growth, RKDH would undergo a $54million redevelopment to upgrade it to a general hospital with 150 extra beds.
The overhaul would result in RKDH increasing its bed capacity from 67 to 217. Once completed, the hospital would provide improved general medicine, general surgery, obstetrics, gynaecology, orthopaedics and paediatrics, along with a range of other medical services to the surrounding communities.
The upgrade would include new operating theatres, obstetric delivery suites and satellite renal dialysis.
"This will be a world class hospital that will not only provide first rate care for the surrounding communities, it will also play a significant role in teaching and education in WA," Mr McGinty said.
Planning would commence immediately and construction was expected to be under way next year. Construction would take about two years, for completion in 2006-2007.
A further upgrade to 300 beds would be completed within the next 10 years.
The Government has already completed construction of the new emergency department at RKDH at a cost of $10.3million.
The Premier and Health Minister today inspected the state-of-the-art facility, which contains extra resuscitation cubicles, acute treatment bays, paediatric treatment cubicles and gynaecology suites.
"The opening of the new and expanded emergency department will further reduce the need for patient transfers to busy metropolitan tertiary hospitals and allow patients to be treated closer to home," Mr McGinty said.
In 2002-03, the RKDH emergency department received 27,500 emergency presentations. That number was expected to grow to approximately 30,000 in 2003-04. The new ED was designed to cater for a growth of up to 45,000 patient presentations per year.
The upgrade at RKDH is part of a $22.4million Government commitment to redevelop and refurbish metropolitan hospital emergency departments, including:

• a $9.3million redevelopment at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital;
• $1.9million at Swan District Hospital for a new observation ward and a CT scanner;
• $900,000 at Princess Margaret Hospital for additional treatment and consulting rooms; and
• a $1.1million emergency centre at King Edward Memorial Hospital.

Today's announcement coincides with the Government's $5.9million initiative announced last week to open four after hours bulk-billing medical centres at major metropolitan hospitals, including Rockingham/Kwinana.
Other centres will open at Royal Perth, Fremantle and the Joondalup Health Campus. They will open predominantly after hours and will be staffed by GPs and registered nurses to treat people with minor injuries and ailments or exacerbated chronic conditions requiring immediate care.
And last month the Government unveiled a $20million plan to open 332 extra hospital beds across the metropolitan area during the high demand winter/spring period.
These initiatives, to open more beds, open GP emergency clinics, upgrade emergency departments, and boost General Hospitals in the suburbs are each part of a strategy to reduce bed block; ambulance bypass and ramping; and long waiting times at emergency departments.
Premier's office: 9222 9475
Minister McGinty's office: 9220 5000