CONSTRUCTION of the $2 billion Fiona Stanley Hospital is on track, with Health Minister Kim Hames unveiling the final hospital designs last week.
CONSTRUCTION of the $2 billion Fiona Stanley Hospital is on track, with Health Minister Kim Hames unveiling the final hospital designs last week.
Brookfield Multiplex is well advanced in its works for stage one of the contract, with the first concrete being poured for aboveground floors last month.
The levels of the main hospital are now rising out of the ground and work is under way on in-ground services including sewerage and stormwater drainage.
Construction of the education and pathology building is currently running slightly ahead of schedule.
“We are anticipating that the project will remain within budget, which is $1.76 billion and $255.7 million of federal government funding for the State rehabilitation service,” a Fiona Stanley Hospital spokesperson told WA Business News.
The builder’s contract for the hospital has been designed in two stages in order to accurately gauge total potential costs and avoid unnecessary blowouts.
Under the terms of first contract stage, Brookfield Multiplex will progress the hospital design to the point where major subcontracts for the construction works would be tendered.
The tender prices would establish a maximum sum for construction, which, if accepted by the state government, would result in Brookfield Multiplex being awarded the second stage of contract.
The rehabilitation centre is being funded through the federal government’s health and hospitals fund.
The Fiona Stanley Hospital spokesperson said stage two of the contract would be awarded in spring this year.
In the state government’s budget papers, a total of $890 million was allocated for capital expenditure on health related infrastructure for the next financial year.
Continued construction of the Fiona Stanley Hospital accounts for $333 million of that $890 million, while the expenditure will spike to $552 million in 2011-2012, $304 million over 2012-2013 and $251 million in 2013-2014.
When it opens in 2014, the 783 bed hospital, which includes 140 beds in the state rehabilitation service, will replace Fremantle Hospital as the primary emergency care hospital in the southern suburbs.
Meanwhile, in other health infrastructure developments, Dr Hames said late last week that planning for the redevelopment of Royal Perth Hospital was well under way.
An RPH precinct committee has been established to progress the development of a precinct structure plan that will identify options for the site, including a redeveloped RPH as well as planning options for the remaining land.
The precinct structure plan is due for completion in January 2011. Represented on the committee are the South Metropolitan Area Health Service, the Department of Planning, the Office of the Government Architect and the City of Perth.