Budget cash splash hopes to fix flammable cladding problems at Perth's biggest hospitals
Six years after the State Government said it would start replacing flammable cladding at some of Perth's major hospitals, the government has quietly allocated another $28 million for remediation works at Perth Children's Hospital.
It's in addition to the $33.3m announced in the government's mid-year review to replace the dangerous cladding at the Fiona Stanley Hospital B block, which houses its main medical wards.
Taxpayers were expected to foot a $41m bill to remove the cladding according to last year's budget figures, but that number is now expected to balloon even further.
Non-compliant aluminium composite panel cladding has been under intense scrutiny since the Grenfell Tower blaze in London claimed the lives of 72 people in 2017.
Figures in Thursday's State Budget reveal WA Health has not only budgeted another $33.3m to address the problem panels at FSH, but that the works on B block are expected to take until at least the 2028-29 financial year to fix — more than 10 years on from the London inferno.
Budget papers also revealed the works already in progress at FSH are set to cost $15.6m, bringing the total cost at the main southern suburbs hospital to $48.9m.
The health department will add the PCH remediation to its portfolio of cladding works to manage, after testing in 2023 confirmed the city's only paediatric hospital was also at risk.
The latest Building and Energy report on remediation efforts revealed of the nine Department of Health buildings requiring remedial action, five had been completed.
A State Government spokesman confirmed works were already underway at FSH, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre and Joondalup Health Campus.
'This is a program of works across multiple buildings in a 24/7 live hospital environment,' the spokesman said.
'Works must be staged and scheduled to avoid impact on patients and service delivery.'
A government contract for the QEII works reveals the Cancer Centre, the Sarich Neuroscience Research Institute, and the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital mental health unit are among the affected buildings.
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