This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
AHEAD of its election-year budget, the Queensland’s Miles government has announced it will put $1.436 billion towards the Cairns and Hinterland Health Hospital Service (CHHHS), which will include money for the master planning, design development and land acquisition for the new Cairns Health and Innovation Centre (CHIC) and nearly half a billion dollars in capital projects.
An initial $60 will be put towards the CHIC, which the government said will focus on tackling the “unique health problems of the tropical world and build upon existing expertise to address the health needs locally and in neighbouring countries around tropical medicine and research, First Nations health as well as establishing a multidisciplinary rural generalist centre for excellence”, which will “integrate healthcare, education, research and industry with an opportunity for collaboration across public and private sectors”.
“This funding will enable extensive master planning, design development and land acquisition which will all assist in determining the optimum location in close proximity to Cairns Hospital,” it said.
The next stage for the CHIC will be market sounding and focus will turn to how public and private sectors can form a partnership and work collaboratively to deliver on the vision for the new centre.
“The centre will leverage our Asia-Pacific connections, lead better outcomes for locals, and deliver cutting-edge research on the health challenges unique to the tropics,” Premier Steven Miles said.
“And its partnerships with industry, universities, research institutions, and commercial operators will drive innovation such as robotics and automation.”
CHHHS chief executive, Leena Singh the service is commissioning a master plan for the Cairns health precinct to “ensure we plan for and future proof our developments as part of the pathway for the health service to take Cairns Hospital to a tertiary level”.
Additionally, more than $450 million of health infrastructure projects are underway or in planning stages in the Cairns region.
The current health investment CHHHS includes the $250 million Cairns Hospital expansion which will deliver an additional 96 beds for the Cairns region. It also includes the new mental health unit under construction, emergency department redevelopment, new Cow Bay Primary Health Centre and the Cairns Youth Alcohol and Other Drugs residential treatment centre.
The government also announced yesterday it would invest more than $24 million to deliver a new eight-bed adolescent mental health unit at Cairns Hospital. Whistleblowers this week called out the Hospital for admitting children to the adult Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit.
“We have listened to the community’s needs, and we are acting,” said Health Minister Shannon Fentiman.
