The ACT government has made a record $1.4billion investment in health, despite recent federal ‘‘cruel’’ cuts to health, with funding for 31 extra hospital beds, dozens of new staff for Canberra Hospital and hundreds more elective surgeries announced in the budget.
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Health was one of the centrepieces of Tuesday’s budget. The government announced it will open 31 new hospital beds, 16 at Canberra Hospital and 15 at Calvary public hospital, fund an extra 500 elective surgeries to slash waiting lists and spend $1.3million on a bariatric surgery program for morbidly obese patients. There was also $24.3million for the redevelopment of Canberra Hospital and an undisclosed sum for construction of the new subacute public hospital at the University of Canberra. The total investment on the new hospital was not revealed in the budget papers. The government cited ‘‘commercial sensitivities and procurement model considerations’’.
Other big ticket items included $43.5million for a 25-bed secure mental health unit and $19.1million for a 700-vehicle car park and electrical substation upgrades at Calvary Hospital.
Chief Minister Katy Gallagher said the funding would “build on health services delivered in hospitals, nurse-led walk in centres’’ as well as ‘‘meet the need for future infrastructure expansion to address increasing demand for public health services”.
“These investments will deliver more doctors and nurses, hospital beds and expansion of services in state of the art health care facilities,” she said.
Ms Gallagher said health was a top priority for the government and to have absorbed the recent federal funding cuts would have been ‘‘catastrophic’’ for the territory’s health system.
Treasurer Andrew Barr said the ACT government was stepping in to fill the gaps created by the Commonwealth withdrawing funding.
“Health services can’t be turned off like a tap – and we will not stand by and let Canberrans suffer from the Commonwealth’s cruel cuts to health,’’ Mr Barr said.
The budget also included $2.3million for the Tuggeranong Community Health Centre and $9.4million for the Belconnen Community Health Centre to deliver more services and employ eight extra FTEs.
It is welcome news for Belconnen mother Natasha Williams, who hopes it will help reduce waiting times for the service. She hoped emergency departments would benefit from the extra staff and beds and said the new Calvary Hospital car park was ‘‘greatly appreciated’’. She also welcomed the new University of Canberra hospital, saying it would help ease pressure on Canberra and Calvary hospitals.
The budget also included funding for more beds for the Hospital to Home program, more cancer services and staff and $8.9million for mental health care, including $2.1million for suicide prevention.