Extra beds for Joondalup Hospital

The Joondalup Hospital will treble in size to a 700 bed tertiary hospital if the Gallop government is re-elected.

Premier Geoff Gallop said the Government had also struck an agreement with Affinity Health to build a new
150-bed private hospital adjacent to the public hospital within the next three years.

"The upgraded public hospital and a new private hospital at Joondalup will create an 850-bed health campus
giving patients in the northern suburbs more choice for health care," Dr Gallop said.

The Gallop Government plan for the Joondalup Health Campus will see public bed numbers boosted from 235 to 325 in the next three years, an increase of 90 beds.

According to the government, a Health Department analysis on demand for hospital bed numbers north of the river found that 460 beds would be needed at Joondalup by 2010, rising to 550 beds in 2015 and 700 beds by 2020.

"As the population in the northern suburbs grows, so does the demand for health services closer to peoples'
homes," Mr Gallop said.

The Premier said the redevelopment would also see an immediate $9 million upgrade of the emergency
department to cater for at least 50,000 patients a year.

The existing emergency department was built to handle 25,000 patients.

The upgrade will increase the number of treatment bays from 21 to 50 including five mental health beds.

Another $15 million will be invested to ensure clinical and support services are able to cope with the extra
patients.

Other key elements of the Gallop Government's plan for the JHC include:

• development of tertiary services such as cardiology, radiation therapy and teaching facilities;

• a new $1.7million public dental clinic to be built on the JHC site by the end of 2005 to treat low-income

• construction of a 30-bed inpatient facility for mental health patients;

• doubling the number of operating theatres from six to 12 to help further reduce elective surgery

• expansion of the renal dialysis and chemotherapy units;

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Last Modified: Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 17:19:26 EST