The ACT government has announced $600,000 of funding in next week's budget to plan the $70 million expansion of the women and children's hospital.
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The government is expanding the hospital, which opened in 2012, to cope with extra demand. It will also add a new wing, including an adolescent mental health unit, intensive care for children, high-dependency pediatric beds, and an adolescent gynaecology service, and child and adolescent sleep labs.
Minster for Health Meegan Fitzharris said the expanded hospital would be completed by 2021.
During the election, the government said it would spend $35 million in the 2017-18 budget on construction of the expanded hospital and another $11 million on operating costs. But the construction cost looks to have been pushed back, with just $600,000 of planning to be funded. Ms Fitzharris said there would be further announcements on the operations funding.
"We will continue to work on delivering the full commitment," she said.
Ms Fitzharris and Chief Minister Andrew Barr visited the maternity hospital on Thursday, where they met two new baby girls, both born on Tuesday, Eden, at 2.9kg, and Safirah, who at 2.8kg fitted comfortably in the palms of Mr Barr's hands.
Mr Barr said the government was focused in Tuesday's budget on delivering its election promises, and progressing its 10-year health plan.
Ms Fitzharris said after the next 12 months of planning, upgrades and modifications to the existing hospital would begin in 2018-19. The expansion would be done "during the current term of government with completion due in 2020-21".
Labor also promised to spend $500 million on a new building at the hospital to be called the SPIRE Centre, and on a new emergency department. The "Surgical Procedures, Interventional Radiology and Emergency" centre would be open "around 2022", Labor said then. It is to have 64 ward beds, new critical care and imaging facilities, a 24-bed high-level coronary care unit, a 48-bed intensive care unit, including for pediatric care, and a new day surgery centre with seven surgery rooms.
Ms Fitzharris and Mr Barr gave no indication this week when that project would be funded, but Mr Barr said further announcements would be made in the budget on Tuesday.
