❓ Question regarding the progress of Medihotel projects, particularly at Joondalup Health Campus, and the Minister's response detailing delays and shifting blame to the previous government.
AnsweredQoN 93Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MEDIHOTELS
93. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for Health:
Before
I ask my question to the Minister for Health, I would like to recognise in the
Speaker's gallery the president of the Shire of Derby–West
Kimberley, Geoff Haerewa. I thank him for being here today—and for his
amateur photography!
I refer to the minister's
2017 media release titled, ''Work begins on WA's first Medihotel'',
which states that medihotels will be operating in 2021. Can the minister
confirm that medihotels, including at Joondalup Health Campus, are nearing
completion and that they will start taking patients next year?
93. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for Health:
Before
I ask my question to the Minister for Health, I would like to recognise in the
Speaker's gallery the president of the Shire of Derby–West
Kimberley, Geoff Haerewa. I thank him for being here today—and for his
amateur photography!
I refer to the minister's
2017 media release titled, ''Work begins on WA's first Medihotel'',
which states that medihotels will be operating in 2021. Can the minister
confirm that medihotels, including at Joondalup Health Campus, are nearing
completion and that they will start taking patients next year?
AnswerView source ↗
Absolutely, I am very proud to say
that work on medihotels continues.
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup : It
continues, but are you actually going to finish?
Mr R.H. COOK : Sorry, member?
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup interjected.
Mr R.H. COOK : Upon coming to
government, we realised that the Liberal government had sold off an important
piece of land at Fiona Stanley Hospital, which we envisaged would be the place
that we would put the medihotel. We know how much it likes to sell things to
the private sector, including government services—mass privatisation
wherever it goes. We took advantage of that in order to ensure that we have an
integrated healthcare facility at Fiona Stanley Hospital. We are working very
constructively with the private developer at Fiona Stanley Hospital to ensure that the medihotel is part of that
integrated health facility known as the health precinct. That work continues.
There are some delays in that, but we are working closely with the private
provider, which is very excited about it.
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Dawesville, you do not ask a question and answer it at the same time.
Mr R.H. COOK : In addition to
that, we are in the process of developing a medihotel at the Royal Perth
Hospital campus. That work continues and it
will be operating shortly. I know that this stuff is hard for the Liberal
opposition to understand.
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup : What about
Joondalup? Tell us about Joondalup.
The SPEAKER : I will tell you
about being called to order for the first time, member for Dawesville!
Mr R.H. COOK : All it did
over eight and a half years was watch a bloated and irrelevant group of
ministers sit on their portfolios without the change necessary to produce a modern
healthcare system.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Nationals WA!
Mr R.H. COOK : The idea of
a government coming in to create modern healthcare facilities can be a little
daunting —a little confusing.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Nationals WA as
a whole, be quiet, please.
Mr R.H. COOK : The other day
we saw the member for Dawesville bragging that under the Liberal–National
government, healthcare spending went up by 80 per cent over its eight and a half
years.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I will give you
one each.
Mr R.H. COOK : It is a pity
that we did not see any sort of efficiencies or any sort of innovation.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, if you
keep interjecting when a minister is giving an answer, I will not give you a supplementary.
Mr R.H. COOK : We saw
reckless spending, a hospital system that was becoming increasingly inefficient
and a government administration that was incapable of grasping the challenges
of the future. We are doing things differently and doing things better to put
patients first.
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup : As in not
doing anything at all. That's all you're doing; you're
doing nothing.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Dawesville, you are going to go home early. I call you to order for the second
time.
Mr R.H. COOK : We know that
the member for Dawesville's approach is to privatise the hospital
system.
Several members interjected.
Ms M.M. Quirk : As opposed to
a laboratory rat!
Several members interjected.
Withdrawal of Remark
The SPEAKER : Member, can you
withdraw that please.
Ms M.M. QUIRK : What?
Several members interjected.
Ms M.M. QUIRK : I withdraw, Mr
Speaker.
The SPEAKER : Thank you,
member for Girrawheen. I call you to order for the first time.
Questions without
Notice Resumed
Mr R.H. COOK : I thought the
member for Girrawheen was being quite complimentary, Mr Speaker!
The SPEAKER : Minister, get on
with it.
Mr R.H. COOK : I thought she
had struck a moment of consensus in the chamber!
Under
the McGowan Labor government, we have a health service that is performing more
operations, seeing more emergency department patients and producing more
episodes of care while making sure that our health system becomes more
efficient. There is record expenditure on mental health. There is record
expenditure on palliative care. We are ensuring that we continue to develop our
hospital campuses to meet the needs of the population. We are starting a health
service at Yanchep. There is major redevelopment of Joondalup Health Campus,
redevelopment at Royal Perth Hospital with over $20 million being spent on the
ICU, and redevelopment at Osborne Park Hospital. Medihotels will be in place at
Royal Perth Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital soon. We are even spending
money on the member for Dawesville's hospital, which is something his
government could never do. We know that the health services are going forward
under the McGowan Labor government.
We are doing more today than has ever been done, through record expenditure,
more episodes of care, more admissions, more ED presentations and urgent care
clinics, all at the same time. It is a quiet but purposeful revolution, member
for Dawesville. It is something that the Liberal Party could never do in
government. Thank goodness for the McGowan Labor government, which can put
patients first!
that work on medihotels continues.
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup : It
continues, but are you actually going to finish?
Mr R.H. COOK : Sorry, member?
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup interjected.
Mr R.H. COOK : Upon coming to
government, we realised that the Liberal government had sold off an important
piece of land at Fiona Stanley Hospital, which we envisaged would be the place
that we would put the medihotel. We know how much it likes to sell things to
the private sector, including government services—mass privatisation
wherever it goes. We took advantage of that in order to ensure that we have an
integrated healthcare facility at Fiona Stanley Hospital. We are working very
constructively with the private developer at Fiona Stanley Hospital to ensure that the medihotel is part of that
integrated health facility known as the health precinct. That work continues.
There are some delays in that, but we are working closely with the private
provider, which is very excited about it.
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Dawesville, you do not ask a question and answer it at the same time.
Mr R.H. COOK : In addition to
that, we are in the process of developing a medihotel at the Royal Perth
Hospital campus. That work continues and it
will be operating shortly. I know that this stuff is hard for the Liberal
opposition to understand.
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup : What about
Joondalup? Tell us about Joondalup.
The SPEAKER : I will tell you
about being called to order for the first time, member for Dawesville!
Mr R.H. COOK : All it did
over eight and a half years was watch a bloated and irrelevant group of
ministers sit on their portfolios without the change necessary to produce a modern
healthcare system.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Nationals WA!
Mr R.H. COOK : The idea of
a government coming in to create modern healthcare facilities can be a little
daunting —a little confusing.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Nationals WA as
a whole, be quiet, please.
Mr R.H. COOK : The other day
we saw the member for Dawesville bragging that under the Liberal–National
government, healthcare spending went up by 80 per cent over its eight and a half
years.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I will give you
one each.
Mr R.H. COOK : It is a pity
that we did not see any sort of efficiencies or any sort of innovation.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, if you
keep interjecting when a minister is giving an answer, I will not give you a supplementary.
Mr R.H. COOK : We saw
reckless spending, a hospital system that was becoming increasingly inefficient
and a government administration that was incapable of grasping the challenges
of the future. We are doing things differently and doing things better to put
patients first.
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup : As in not
doing anything at all. That's all you're doing; you're
doing nothing.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Dawesville, you are going to go home early. I call you to order for the second
time.
Mr R.H. COOK : We know that
the member for Dawesville's approach is to privatise the hospital
system.
Several members interjected.
Ms M.M. Quirk : As opposed to
a laboratory rat!
Several members interjected.
Withdrawal of Remark
The SPEAKER : Member, can you
withdraw that please.
Ms M.M. QUIRK : What?
Several members interjected.
Ms M.M. QUIRK : I withdraw, Mr
Speaker.
The SPEAKER : Thank you,
member for Girrawheen. I call you to order for the first time.
Questions without
Notice Resumed
Mr R.H. COOK : I thought the
member for Girrawheen was being quite complimentary, Mr Speaker!
The SPEAKER : Minister, get on
with it.
Mr R.H. COOK : I thought she
had struck a moment of consensus in the chamber!
Under
the McGowan Labor government, we have a health service that is performing more
operations, seeing more emergency department patients and producing more
episodes of care while making sure that our health system becomes more
efficient. There is record expenditure on mental health. There is record
expenditure on palliative care. We are ensuring that we continue to develop our
hospital campuses to meet the needs of the population. We are starting a health
service at Yanchep. There is major redevelopment of Joondalup Health Campus,
redevelopment at Royal Perth Hospital with over $20 million being spent on the
ICU, and redevelopment at Osborne Park Hospital. Medihotels will be in place at
Royal Perth Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital soon. We are even spending
money on the member for Dawesville's hospital, which is something his
government could never do. We know that the health services are going forward
under the McGowan Labor government.
We are doing more today than has ever been done, through record expenditure,
more episodes of care, more admissions, more ED presentations and urgent care
clinics, all at the same time. It is a quiet but purposeful revolution, member
for Dawesville. It is something that the Liberal Party could never do in
government. Thank goodness for the McGowan Labor government, which can put
patients first!
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