House debates

Wednesday, 24 March 2021

Constituency Statements

Western Australia: Hospitals

10:21 am

Photo of Ian GoodenoughIan Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Today The West Australian reports:

WA's health system has reached an unprecedented breaking point, with two of Perth's major hospitals declaring code yellows, saying they are unable to take in emergency patients.

According to the Australian Medical Association WA president, Andrew Miller, the hospitals concerned are Royal Perth and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, with Fiona Stanley Hospital nearing the code yellow threshold. At midnight on Monday night, there were about 80 patients waiting for treatment in the emergency department of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Perth metropolitan hospitals have experienced record ambulance ramping delays of 4,135 hours in January—the time between an ambulance arriving at an emergency department and patients being admitted.

It is time that the McGowan government addressed the health crisis. The electoral honeymoon is over. In my electorate, at Joondalup hospital, the emergency department is also experiencing significant ambulance ramping. It is not uncommon for patients to endure waiting times of four to six hours for treatment. It is concerning that the construction of the extension to the hospital has not yet commenced, despite it being a 2017 WA state Labor election promise. In 2019, the then Leader of the Opposition, the member for Maribyrnong, also visited the hospital and promised an expansion. We are still waiting for construction to commence.

By contrast, for its part, the federal government has delivered on its $158 million commitment to expand Joondalup hospital to a total capacity of 1,020 beds. However, the funds have been sitting idle in the state government's coffers. The only good news is that Multiplex has been awarded the early contractor involvement tender for the construction works.

Population growth in the northern coastal suburbs is placing greater demands on Joondalup hospital from suburbs further afield. Even the planned medical centre at Yanchep will not be sufficient in coming years to meet the growing demand caused by residential growth in the northern coastal catchment. We must act now to be proactive to avoid future ambulance ramping and avoid an increase in waiting times. Visionary forward planning is required for a major hospital based in the Yanchep region to meet the future healthcare needs of a rapidly growing community. The census later this year will confirm the need for additional medical services for a growing population.