CWM redevelopment to take up to 20 years

The multi-phased redevelopment of the Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital is expected to take between 10 and 20 years to complete, Assistant Minister for Health Penioni Ravunawa says.

Mr Ravunawa said the project was a major undertaking that required extensive planning and infrastructure work.

The CWM Hospital has long faced public scrutiny over its ageing infrastructure, inadequate resources and limited capacity.

"It will take at least about 10 to 20 years to complete the whole project improvement plan for the hospital, and also for the new hospital that the minister is planning to build outside of CWM," Mr Ravunawa said.

"There is a lot of work involved. As you know, the west wing of the hospital is more than 100 years old."

In the meantime, work has begun on improvements to the hospital's roof, maternity ward wash facilities, operating theatre and a staff rest area.

The hospital also lacks suitable facilities for staff to rest during working hours.

Mr Ravunawa said preserving the hospital's identity, including its façade and name, formed part of the redevelopment plan.

"That is important that we factor in those elements during the project planning, implementation and infrastructure improvements," Mr Ravunawa said.

"However, there is a lot of groundwork that needs to be done, which is where most of the focus has been during this last financial year and will continue into the coming financial year."

The redevelopment is being supported by the Australian Government through a $6.7 million critical upgrades package and a further $14.5 million commitment under the Vuvale Partnership.