The Nationals WA Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region Jacqui Boydell says completion of Karratha Health Campus is testament to the quality of regional development enabled by Royalties for Regions.
Made possible through $206.5 million of RfR funding, the project was completed on time and on budget and will open its doors to patients before the end of October.
Ms Boydell welcomed the facility’s completion, saying investment in quality healthcare was a vital part of regional development.
“Karratha has undergone an amazing transformation into a vibrant city thanks to the previous RfR investment in the Pilbara championed by The Nationals WA,” she said.
“I wonder if local Labor MP Kevin Michel looks at the new hospital and feels comfortable saying that money has been spent in the wrong place by the previous government, as he has openly said in Parliament.”
The facility, which replaces Nickol Bay Hospital, has an improved maternity wing, new delivery suites and expanded facilities to support essential health services.
It also has a helipad for transporting patients from other regional areas to the hospital and from Karratha to Perth for further treatment if required.
Ms Boydell said the hospital was a direct result of The Nationals’ vision for developing the Pilbara, which had been abandoned by the Labor State Government.
“We had a clear vision for the region backed by a solid policy of regional development.
“Unfortunately for the people of the Pilbara, interest in region-building projects and sustaining vibrant cities in the north has dwindled to nothing more than a memory under a Labor Government.”
Nationals spokesperson for health Martin Aldridge praised those involved with the planning and construction of Karratha’s new health campus.
“Equitable access to healthcare is a right and this project is a shining example of how RfR improves health-related infrastructure and services in regional communities,” he said.
“With continued erosion of Royalties for Regions by the Labor Government so it can pay for Perth projects, Karratha is unlikely to experience this level of investment again.”
For media enquiries: Jacqui.boydell@mp.wa.gov.au or Ph: 9173 2006
