THE South Australian government has confirmed a cost blowout and delays to the new Royal Adelaide Hospital ahead of a state budget update.
HEALTH Minister Jack Snelling says Tuesday’s mid-year budget review will include an extra $177 million in funding for the 800-bed hospital, taking its cost to about $2 billion.
It was due to open in April 2016 but an independent review has concluded the project won’t be finished until the second half of that year. The additional funding comes amid concerns about an apparent lack of planning behind the transition from the existing Royal Adelaide hospital to the new facilities. Mr Snelling says the government will keep both hospitals in operation for a period of about 10 weeks to ensure patient care isn’t compromised. “This is the most complex transition project the state has ever undertaken,” he told reporters. “I won’t compromise on patient safety.” Doctors told a parliamentary committee last week there was a lack of transparency on how the hospital would operate and whether it would have sufficient capacity as the state’s largest public hospital. Opposition Leader Steven Marshall said the government was aware of cost blowouts at the hospital long before they were confirmed. “I think that this is a terrible situation where the people of South Australia are being kept in the dark on this major project,” he told reporters. “This has been a problem project since day one and I think there’s much more bad news to come.” Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis has warned of a $254 million dent to the state’s revenue base from federal funding cuts and the government’s failure to pass a proposed car park tax.