Greg Hunt is the new federal Minister for Health after the resignation of Sussan Ley. Former Assistant Minister Ken Wyatt is now Minister for Aged Care and Indigenous Health.
Australian Clinical Labs has bought Perth Pathology from owner Dr Wayne Smit, who will retain a “significant” minority equity share and will continue their involvement as executives. Clinical Labs’ purchase of St John of God Pathology went through in October 2016.
WA Health is concluding its hospital investment program with some redevelopments and refurbishments of regional health services. Pindan has won contracts worth $50.9m to redevelop Northam and Merredin and refurb Dalwallinu. Cockram has won the $35.5m contract to redevelop the Narrogin health service and FIRM will undertake the refurbishments of Jurien Bay ($3.1m) and Wongan Hills ($2.1m).
BGC Construction has won the tender to build the new $8.8m Pingelly Health Centre, which will include an ED and Emergency Telehealth Service facilities. Cockram has started building the $41.8m health service at Onslow. It is due to be completed by mid-2018. It is partially being funded with $22m from the Chevron-operated Wheatstone LNG project, located 12km from Onslow.
Dr Christine ClinchDr Christine Clinch has been appointed St John of God Midland Public Hospital’s Director of Aboriginal Health. It is the first time an Indigenous person has been appointed to a metropolitan public hospital’s executive board.
GP and director of the UWA Medical Centre Dr Christine Pascott has been elected to the MDA National Mutual Board while A/Prof Max Baumwol has been re-elected to the board.
The WA Government has pledged an extra $1.9 m to the Ramsay-administered Peel Health Campus to speed up the delivery of public elective surgeries.
St Emilie’s Convent, a 40-bed facility in Kalamunda, will have a $3.4m upgrade thanks to Lotterywest funding to improve its capacity to help young women who are at risk of abuse, domestic violence, self-harm or risk homelessness. The building is leased to the Esther Foundation.
Hard on the heels of the recently opened Rockingham mental health facility, the WA Government has found the site in Robinson St, Broome, for its $4.8m six-bed step-up, step-down mental health facility. In Bunbury, $9m has been promised to develop a 10-bed mental health facility and a $97m, six-bed facility would be built in the Pilbara.
The former Port Hedland hospital has been demolished and the site remediated after a fire swept through the vacant building. The Government allocated $9.7m for the clean-up which included asbestos removal. The site overlooks the planned $152m Spoilbank Marina development.
The WA Government has promised $3m to extend the Osborne Park Hospital carpark to allow for 300 bays (allowing a total of 800 vehicles). The work is said to be ‘futureproofing’ the hospital which is expected to expand its gynaecology, neonatology and obstetrics services from Level 3 to Level 4 by 2024.