Multi-million dollar innovation centre headlines big budget spend on Cairns health
A ‘cutting edge’ $60m health service focusing on tropical medicine and research will be established in Cairns attracting skilled clinicians to Far North Queensland, Premier Steven Miles says.
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A “cutting edge” $60m health service focusing on tropical medicine and research will be established in Cairns attracting skilled clinicians to Far North Queensland as part of increased investment in the region’s hospital precinct, Premier Steven Miles says.
The project will be officially announced on Tuesday and included in the state budget with Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service set to secure more than $1.4bn, including $450m in capital projects.
Funding for the Cairns Health and Innovation Centre will be included in next month’s budget and integrate healthcare, education, research and industry with opportunities for collaboration between the public and private sector, Mr Miles said.
“I am committed to doing what matters for Queensland, and that includes bolstering our frontline health services,” Mr Miles said.
“My government’s upcoming budget will deliver the biggest investment to Queensland Health services, infrastructure and personnel in the state’s history.
“A key part of that will be a new Health and Innovation Centre – backed by an initial $60m in funding from my government.
“The centre will leverage our Asia-Pacific connections, lead to better outcomes for locals, and deliver cutting-edge research on the health challenges unique to the tropics.”
The new budget will include an additional $137m in funding compared to the prior year for CHHHS, Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said.
“We know that health services across the state are under pressure, which is why we’re increasing Cairns’ health budget by more than ten per cent, one of the largest uplifts in history,” Ms Fentiman said.
“The Cairns Health and Innovation Centre will provide new ways of doing business across the public and private sectors – within Queensland, across borders and internationally.
“It will position Cairns as a global centre for excellence and expand access to education, training, and research opportunities.
“This will help to attract, develop, and retain the diverse health workforce we need to meet the growing needs in the Far North.”
CHIC will play a key role in fostering new partnerships across the globe, CHHHS chief executive, Leena Singh said.
“It will enable partnering not only with universities, but also research institutions, private sector partners and communities, to ensure the best minds are applied to solving the unique health issues of Far North Queensland,” Ms Singh said.
“We are commissioning a master plan for the Cairns health precinct to ensure we plan for and future proof our developments as part of the pathway for the health service to take Cairns Hospital to a tertiary level.
“At the end of the day, this will help us attract some of the best minds and investment to tackle some of our biggest health challenges and translate this into providing the best care possible to our patients through the generations.”
In a statement, the Queensland government confirmed a site had yet to be bought or identified where CHIC will be based.
Last year, $50m was announced for CTEC which was heralded as a “key piece” in attracting top clinicians from all over the world and generating solutions to “unique health issues” in the Far North.
$450m CHHHS capital projects include:
● $26.4m Emergency Department redevelopment
● $250m Cairns Hospital Expansion Project – new surgical centre and ward refurbishments
● $70m Mental Health Unit
● $19.3m Cairns Youth Alcohol and Other Drugs Residential Treatment Centre
● $14.8m new Cow Bay Primary Health Centre
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Originally published as Multi-million dollar innovation centre headlines big budget spend on Cairns health
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