Page 2051 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 4 June 2019

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Mrs Dunne interjecting—

MS FITZHARRIS: I note Mrs Dunne’s continual negative comments about the Canberra public health system. I thank Ms Cody for the question. As we all know, Canberra Hospital is a critical part of the ACT and region’s healthcare system. It is the region’s largest public hospital and has the territory’s largest emergency department and operating theatre complex.

The ACT Labor government is making record investments in new and expanded health infrastructure, responding to increases in health service demand and the growing population through the building health services program that is charting the course for future proofing our public health system. As part of this program the government has committed to the delivery of the SPIRE centre located at Canberra Hospital and in this budget, as has been previously announced, we have increased the scope of SPIRE to make sure that the facility will keep pace with growing acute healthcare demand.

The new SPIRE centre will include 22 state-of-the-art operating theatres; 114 emergency department treatment spaces, 39 more than currently available; 60 intensive care beds, doubling the current capacity; a new and expanded coronary care unit; a family-friendly zone for families with children in the ICU; and a rehabilitation gymnasium to assist ICU patients in their recovery.

The new and expanded acute and critical care services to be delivered through SPIRE will have an impact on reducing waiting times, treating more critical-care patients locally and attracting and retaining clinical staff to our community. We look forward to progressing investments in SPIRE and also to continuing to invest in Canberra Hospital campus as a whole.

MS CODY: Minister, what other measures has the government announced to tackle growing demand on health services?

MS FITZHARRIS: In addition to the significant SPIRE project, this Labor government is investing in a range of other healthcare services and facilities to meet the growing and changing healthcare needs of our community.

The government is expanding the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, which will see a doubling of the number of postnatal beds, a new adolescent mental health unit and an increase in the hospital’s capacity to care for ill or premature newborn babies.

Our walk-in centres are more popular than ever, with existing centres in Belconnen and Tuggeranong seeing over 22½ thousand presentations each year; and in its first six months of operation, our latest centre, in Gungahlin, seeing over 14,000. This week we announced the Dickson location and funding for a new inner north walk-in centre, the fifth to be established in suburbs across Canberra. The walk-in centre will complement existing services provided at the community health centre, including maternal and child health services. Members will also be aware that the Weston Creek


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