Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-11-12 Daily Xml

Contents

Women's and Children's Hospital

The Hon. C. BONAROS (14:44): Supplementary: in so doing, will the minister confirm whether the $12.3 million needed to replace and upgrade obsolete surgical equipment will form, or does form, part of the $26 million in additional funding?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:44): I think the point should be made that there are two ways that medical equipment, as I understand it, is funded. In fact, I can immediately think of a third. The first way is through the medical equipment program of the department. There are bids put in from networks to the department, and the Women's and Children's Hospital is certainly involved in that program.

Secondly, it is expected that networks will use some of their recurrent funding for equipment purposes. That is a decision they make in terms of how best to utilise the funding that is provided to them. Obviously, a hospital like the Women's and Children's Hospital, a much loved 140-year-old institution, is also the beneficiary of private funding, which is used for equipment from time to time.