THE Government has opted to redevelop Colonial War Memorial Hospital in stages instead of pursuing the proposed new national tertiary hospital at Valelevu, with the estimated $5.35billion price tag proving a major hurdle.
Cabinet endorsed the staged redevelopment of the existing CWM Hospital campus after considering the Preliminary Master Plan for the proposed Valelevu facility.
The Government said the new hospital was estimated to cost about $A3.5billion ($F5.49billion), with about $1.4billion required for the first stage alone.
“In light of the significant upfront investment required and limited financing commitments, Cabinet agreed that the next stages of planning would focus on the redevelopment of the existing CWM Hospital site,” Government said in a statement.
The decision means the Government will proceed with a feasibility study and business case based on a staged redevelopment of CWM.
According to the Government, the approach would allow critical hospital infrastructure to be progressively upgraded while health services continued operating.
“The staged redevelopment would allow critical hospital infrastructure to be progressively upgraded while maintaining health services, spreading investment across multiple budget cycles and allowing Government to pursue financing from development partners.”
The Government said the redevelopment would also support planned investments at the CWM campus, including oncology and radiotherapy infrastructure.
“This decision allows the feasibility study and business case to proceed on the basis of a staged redevelopment of CWM Hospital, providing a more progressive pathway for strengthening Fiji’s national tertiary health infrastructure.”
