Albany Health Campus to expand by 30 beds by early 2027 in $60m upgrade if WA Labor re-elected in March

WA’s health minister has promised the Great Southern’s biggest hospital will have an extra 30 beds by early 2027 if WA Labor is re-elected on March 8. Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson was in Albany on Thursday for an election commitment to build a $60 million modular ward at Albany Health Campus. She said construction would be minimally disruptive to the hospital’s operations and if re-elected, a plan for the expansion would be included in the first Budget. “We will be seeking to have these beds operational by early 2027, and they will enable a range of opportunities for this health campus,” she said. Ms Sanderson said that WA Labor would pour $60m into the regional hospital and double its size with the construction of a modular ward. The election promise would include 30 extra beds and 60 staff added, in a commitment that Labor says is the “biggest bed boost in the hospital’s history”. The AHC opened in the 1950s and has undergone a $170m reconstruction — the biggest country health project in WA history — that was completed in 2013. A $320m business case to expand the hospital further over six years was put forward in 2021. A 2022 inquiry report conducted by the WA Country Health Service into the hospital said it had an “inability to meet the patient care demand” of the Great Southern community. Nationals WA Albany candidate Scott Leary labelled the election promise a “band-aid solution” that fails to address the critical upgrades the hospital needs to meet “growing demands” from the community. “For three years, the local Labor member and the health minister have sat on a business case that reportedly calls for a major $320m redevelopment of Albany hospital, but they refuse to release the details or commit to the full scope of work needed,” he said. “The Nationals WA have consistently called on WA Labor to come clean about what’s in the business case and outline a real plan to upgrade Albany hospital properly. “With WA Labor still failing to deliver the extra car parking they promised four years ago, why should the people of Albany trust them to deliver the hospital redevelopment we actually need? “The Nationals WA built Albany hospital in 2013 — the biggest regional health project WA had ever seen — and only the Nationals WA can be trusted to deliver the upgrades to secure its future.” Works on the $2m 100-bay AHC carpark project is expected to start in February, with Devlyn Construction announced as the managing contractor.