THE STATE Government has refused to directly answer questions about redevelopment plans for Osborne Park Hospital.
Opposition health spokesman Roger Cook said the Government had cancelled more than $70 million worth of redevelopment plans at the hospital, leaving it “struggling to cope with high demand from people in the northern suburbs”.
Mr Cook presented a Grievance to Health Minister John Day in Parliament on August 25, challenging the Minister to “explain to the community his Government’s string of broken promises”.
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READ NOW“The hospital was supposed to grow to 260 beds by 2020-21, yet it will now have just over 200 beds for the foreseeable future,” he said.
“The Liberal Government has no long term commitment for Osborne Park Hospital. They have cancelled building works throughout their eight years in office. The only plan left in budget papers is a 300 bay carpark.”
The Stirling Times asked Mr Day if the Government had cancelled more than $70 million of redevelopment plans, if the hospital was equipped to accommodate demand, if it would be upgraded to deal with projected growth in demand, and how many beds the hospital would have by 2020-21.
Mr Day said that in eight years, the Government had “invested a record $7 billion in health infrastructure, including more than 60 new hospitals, significant upgrades and expansions”.
“Residents across the Osborne Park Hospital catchment area can rest assured that their local hospital will continue to be well-resourced and is an integral part of our plans for expanding health care facilities in the Perth’s growing northern suburbs,” he said.