WA Health Minister Roger Cook has come out swinging over calls for increased funding for the Peel Health Campus.
Mr Cook said the McGowan government will use the recent Sustainable Health Review to inform future decisions about the way health is managed in the Peel region “to ensure the local people receive quality healthcare that can be sustained for future generations”.
The hospital’s operator Ramsay Health Care has been awarded an extension of their Health Service Agreement until August 2023.
The minister said this allowed the state government to complete a comprehensive review of the health care needs of the Peel region and determine longer term clinical service delivery options.
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“I have specifically asked the head of the Sustainable Health Review to look at the needs of the Peel region and the interim findings which have just been released identify the area as a pressure point,” Mr Cook said.
“The last major investment in the Peel Health Campus was $3 million dollars made by the Labor government in 2008.
“For eight years, while the Barnett government was in power, the local member Dr Kim Hames was the Health Minister.
“During this time he and his government did nothing to address the healthcare needs of the region and as a result failed miserably to keep track with a rapidly growing population.”
The Department of Health’s South Metropolitan Health Service is currently undertaking an analysis of the service demand and usage for the Peel region, which Mr Cook said would inform the clinical service planning needs of the local population.
“I recently met with the City of Mandurah to discuss the consultation process we will undertake to address future health needs of the area – the member for Murray Wellington, Robyn Clark and the member for Mandurah, David Templeman will be part of the wider collaboration and community engagement to establish how we best serve the needs of the area,” he said.
“A decision on the service delivery model and the clinical needs of the region will inform the decision regarding the Peel Health Campus redevelopment requirements.”