Business News
The state government will spend $1.5 billion to bring three public hospital projects into the system, including a move to purchase St John of God Mt Lawley for public use from next year.
On the same day as the revelation dropped that a $1.6 billion redevelopment of the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre had been put on ice, Premier Roger Cook and his three health ministers announced an extra $1 billion into fund to bring new hospitals online.
The state has committed $1 billion of new funding on top of $500 million which was announced in September.
Among the hospitals to be brought on is St John of God Mt Lawley, with the government revealing it was in advanced negotiations to buy out the 197-bed facility from the private operator.
Almost half of the beds at Mt Lawley are already contracted to WA Health, but the state government said it would add eight surgery theatres and around 100 beds to the public system.
A government release said the ground capacity at Mt Lawley would provide expansion opportunities.
The Housing Minister John Carey is also Health Infrastructure Minister, and said today that the rationale for a deal to buy the Mt Lawley hospital would allow the government to “add beds to the public system quicker than we can build them”.