State announces major contracts, projects to add 897 hospital beds in South East Qld

Contracts for two major hospital expansions in Queensland’s southeast worth more than $1bn have been awarded, with the projects to add hundreds of beds to the system in four years.

Contracts for two major hospital expansions in Queensland’s South East worth more than $1bn have been awarded by the state government, with the projects expected to add hundreds of beds to the system in four years.

The contracts to expand the QEII Jubilee Hospital on Brisbane’s southside and the Ipswich Hospital come as new Health Minister Shannon Fentiman confirmed the government’s satellite hospital program was more than $90m over its original budget.

But the opposition said the program, based on the $265m pitched by Labor at the 2020 election, was about $110m over budget.

The state government has awarded a contract for work at the QEII Hospital at Nathan that will add 112 beds. Picture: David Clark

The government will spend $465m on the QEII Jubilee Hospital expansion project to add 112 extra beds to the system and 1120 construction jobs in the process, with the original Queensland Hospital and Health Plan saying the build would be done by late 2027.

Stage 2 of the Ipswich Hospital upgrade will also get under way as part of a $710m contract to deliver 200 extra beds by the second half of 2027.

The government says the expansion at QEII will “significantly boost capacity for in-demand elective surgeries” and help meet growing demand on Brisbane’s southside.

The head contractors for the QEII and Ipswich Hospital expansions are Built Qld and BESIX Watpac respectively.

Ms Fentiman said the Ipswich Hospital upgrade was needed amid forecasts the population within the West Moreton Hospital and Health Service area would hit 587,600 by 2036.

“The addition of 112 beds (at QEII will also) significantly boost capacity to the region, and the South Brisbane community can continue to put their trust in our health system,” she said.

The new tenders worth $1.17bn come on top of $1.38bn in contracts for four other hospital expansions announced this month – $530m for stage 2 of the Logan Hospital expansion to add 112 beds, $350m to create 249 extra beds at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, $250m to add 96 beds to Cairns Hospital, and $250m to add 128 beds to Mackay Base Hospital.

The government has copped flak, including from senior health sources, for its satellite hospitals – which are open from 8am to 10pm, have no hospital beds and no emergency department.

Ms Fentiman, who visited the nearly complete facility at Ripley, said there would be 800 specialist appointments and nearly 500 walk-in patients helped per week for minor accidents and illnesses.