07 July 2010
THE HON NICOLA ROXON MP
Minister for Health and Ageing
PETER GARRETT AM
Federal Member for Kingsford Smith
Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts
Australia’s historic health and hospital reform is set to deliver an additional 12 beds to Prince of Wales Hospital.
The new beds were announced during a visit today to Prince of Wales Hospital by the Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon.
The 10 acute and 2 sub-acute beds are part of the Australian Government’s ambitious health reform agenda, delivering better health and better hospitals for Australian families.
The Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon said that today’s announcement builds on funding provided to the Prince of Wales Hospital by the Australian Government to reduce elective surgery waiting lists through the provision of new surgical equipment.
Ms Roxon said, “Today’s announcement is a demonstration of the hard work of health reform paying off for the patients who rely on the Prince of Wales.”
Federal Labor Member for Kingsford Smith, Peter Garrett, welcomed the announcement, saying it demonstrated how health reform was making a difference locally.
“The Prince of Wales Hospital is very important to the people of Kingsford Smith, and today’s announcement demonstrates this Government’s commitment to putting in place the most significant reforms to Australia’s health and hospitals system since the introduction of Medicare,” he said.
Michael Daley, State Member for Maroubra said “the Prince of Wales Hospital and patients will benefit directly from the NSW and Federal Governments working together.”
State Member for Coogee, Paul Pearce added, “These additional resources will significantly enhance Prince of Wales Hospital’s ability to meet demand from the fast-growing local community.”
This includes $7.4 billion in additional Commonwealth funding over five years to provide:
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1,300 new sub-acute hospital beds and 2,500 additional aged care beds
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expanded GP and primary care services, especially after hours
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more support for nurses, particularly aged care nurses
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quicker emergency department and elective surgery treatment times
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personally controlled electronic health records
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more training places for GPs and specialists
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locum relief for rural nurses and allied health professionals
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new investments in prevention, including tough new action to tackle smoking
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new investments in mental health services, to help 20,000 extra young people
“These reforms are underpinned by a secure future funding base for health and hospitals — with the Government taking dominant funding responsibility for hospitals for the first time,” Mr Garrett concluded.