MORE than 30 country towns will benefit from a State Government injection into health infrastructure.
In its single biggest investment into regional health, the State Government has announced funds of up to $325.8 million to upgrade hospital services and infrastructure throughout the State.
The Royalties for Regions funded Southern Inland Health Initiative (SIHI) aimed to address gaps in health care throughout southern WA.
The investment will involve upgrades to six district hospitals totalling $173.7m, as well as an additional $108.8m for upgrades and refurbishment of small hospitals and nursing posts.
A further $43.3m has been allocated towards fit-for-purpose health care facilities that focus on the promotion of good health, prevention and early detection of illness, with the first two sites in Pingelly and Cunderdin underway.
The six hospitals earmarked for the upgrades are:
p Manjimup Hospital, $31.4m to replace the existing hospital.
p Northam Hospital, $46.1m.
p Collie Hospital, $8.6m.
p Merredin Hospital, $26.4m.
p Narrogin Hospital, $55.9m.
p Katanning Hospital, $35.4m.
Regional Development Minister Terry Redman visited six those towns last week to officially announce the funding.
He said providing health care for residents was a crucial aspect of ensuring the sustainability of regional towns.
"Investment in health infrastructure and services is fundamental to the ongoing viability and development of regional WA," Mr Redman said.
"This initiative will provide a significant increase in medical and other clinical services across the Southern Inland area, ensuring the sustainability of emergency and acute inpatient services outside of the metropolitan area.
"It will also improve the coordination and direct service provision of a range of new primary health care services, including more GPs, nurse practitioners and greater use of Telehealth services."
But the opposition has lashed out at the Liberal and National parties calling the announcement laughable and deceptive.
Shadow Health Minister Roger Cook said the same funding for upgrades were originally announced in May 2011, but funding was cut in the December mid-year review and had now simply been re-instated.
"If the government had stuck to its original time frame, the upgrades would have been completed in 2014-15," he said. "Now they won't be completed until at least 2017-18.
"This is an extremely deceptive announcement by the State Government.
"Its claim that these hospitals are receiving a funding boost is laughable, given these upgrades were originally announced in May 2011.
"The budget cuts in December mean the people in these regions will have to wait an extra two years to receive these important upgrades.
"This is yet another example of how the government's terrible financial management is causing delays to important hospital upgrades throughout regional WA."
But Mr Redman hit back at the claims by Mr Cook and said the $325.8m was not approved by Cabinet until May this year and at no time since it's inclusion in the State Budget had SIHI funding been removed from the budget.
"The overall allocation of $565m to SIHI was formally announced in the 2012-13 State Budget," he said.
"In its first two years of operation, announcements concerned Telehealth and GP funding, what we announced last week was the specific funding for six regional hospitals and what upgrades they would receive under this package."
Cunderdin was one of the towns set to receive a portion of $43m for health care facilities.
Cunderdin Shire chief executive officer Peter Naylor said the funding would be used for a state of the art health clinic, built separately to the hospital.
He said the facility would provide rooms for visiting health professionals and nursing staff with emergency rooms.
"There won't be 24/7 beds available, because then it would constitute a hospital," Mr Naylor said.
"But if someone has an emergency there will be facilities where they can be monitored and assessed, and if they need it a transfer to a hospital."
It is expected the new health care facility would take the place of the current hospital.
"We would love to retain and upgrade the hospital we have but given Cunderdin's proximity to Merredin and Northam, the future of it isn't bright," Mr Naylor said.
"With the advent of new and improved technology and the way things can be done now via tele-health services, we hope this new type of facility will be successful.
"Health, like every other government agency, has had funding cuts and it is difficult for the State to substantiate maintaining all of the country hospitals, so we needed to start looking at alternatives.
"If we didn't take this opportunity now, and the hospital ended up closing anyway, we could potentially end up with nothing."
Narrogin Hospital is set to receive over $55 million which Shire chief executive officer Aaron Cook said the council was over the moon about.
"To have the funding committed and for the commencement date to be so close is exciting," he said.
"It will be a major benefit to the Narrogin region to have a fully functional and fully upgraded hospital for the future."
