Labor says it will one-up the Coalition's ACT health funding pledge if elected, promising to deliver $20 million in health projects and honour the Commonwealth's $68 million funding package announced last week.
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The funding - to be announced on Friday by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King at Canberra Hospital- would go towards reducing elective surgery and specialist wait times, establishing a new palliative care in-patient unit and upgrading support services for new mums.
Ms King said Labor would still honour all existing Commonwealth commitments.
That would include the $68 million pre-budget announcements made by the federal government last week such as the upgrade to Canberra Hospital ICU and building an inpatient eating disorder clinic.
Ms King said $10 million would be spent on a new outpatient clinic at Calvary Public Hospital in Bruce, giving residents of the ACT and southern NSW better access to free specialist appointments.
"As the population of Canberra and the surrounding southern NSW region rapidly expands and ages, demand for health services in this area is growing quickly – including for specialists and elective surgery," she said.
"This new clinic is expected to deliver timely care for a range of common specialities and ultimately lead to improved health outcomes for patients who need surgery."
Labor would also spend $6 million for a new palliative care in-patient unit at Canberra Hospital.
"We are committed to improving palliative care across the country to ensure all Australians are afforded the comfort, dignity and privacy they need in their final days," Ms King said.
The funding pledge also included $4 million to upgrade QEII Family Centre in Curtin to provide in-patient support to women experiencing post-natal difficulties, for example because of breastfeeding problems or they have a baby with special needs.
The money would provide two additional in-patient beds as well as new spaces to have day services and drop-in services as the role of QEII is expanded.
Ms King said the upgrades would be paid for through its $2.8 billion Better Hospitals Fund.
"These investments are part of Federal Labor’s Fair Go Action Plan to fix our hospitals and strengthen Medicare," she said.
