Federal Canning MP Andrew Hastie has called on the state government to reverse its decision to delay upgrades to Peel Health Campus, saying it puts the lives of people in the region at risk.
The state government announced last week a decision to delay the Peel Health Campus transition from private to public management by a year, from August 2023 to August 2024.
That commitment was made in 2020 to return management of the hospital back to the public sector from the private control of Ramsay Health Care.
Mr Hastie also pointed to ambulance ramping figures reaching yet another high of 601.8 hours for the month of November and, coupled with the delay, accused the government of putting the region last.
"Mark McGowan should hang his head in shame having let our hospital system reach the state it's in, and now delaying upgrades to Peel Health Campus that he promised before the 2021 state election," Mr Hastie said.
"The Premier has proved time and time again, that he will always put residents of the Peel region last.
"Ambulances are ramped for 20 hours a day, nurses are underpaid and overworked, and the only action the Premier takes is to kick upgrades to our hospital into the long grass.
"The people of the Peel region trusted Mark McGowan to fix our hospital like he promised. They elected three state Labor members, but where are they now?"
Mr Hastie was also critical of Mandurah MP David Templeman and accused him of "not standing up for our community", however Mr Templeman defended the government's position on the campus and offered some harsh words of his own.
"The former Liberal-National Federal Government had nine years to deliver for the people of Peel and they failed dismally," Mr Templeman said.
"The McGowan Government is delivering for the people of Mandurah and Peel with a $152 million expansion and redevelopment of the Peel Health Campus and the planning process for that is underway.
"The transition project is complex and as a government we are committed to ensuring it goes smoothly for patients and staff."
Mr Templeman also said the government was committed to ensuring all Ramsay Health Care staff have the opportunity to transition to the public sector and retain their prior service, long service and paid parental leave entitlements.
"The government has made the decision that, in the case of this transfer, recognition of previously accrued personal leave has been approved for employees who transition from Ramsay Health Care to South Metropolitan Health services," he said.
The Mandurah MP also pointed to upgrades to the emergency department at the campus in 2021, and recent improvements to hospital parking and security as proof the government was committed to the region.
WA health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson praised Ramsey Health Care for its running of the hospital, but told the Mail essential upgrades to ICT infrastructure was responsible for the delay.
"Ramsey have done a great job of running those services, but they have been relatively new," she said.
"Those who have been around Peel Health Campus for some time will know that 20 years of Health Solutions was not good for Peel Health Campus and they did not invest in the infrastructure of Peel Health Campus, and you can see that when you walk in the building.
"Part of that really important investment is ICT infrastructure, and there has been little to no investment from the previous provider over those 20 years.
"In order to bring people over in a smooth transition, and to ensure that there's no impact on staff and patients, we need a little longer to make sure that we can bring that ICT infrastructure and software up to the Department of Health Standards."
