WA Budget promises $13 million for Albany dental clinic under regional health and mental health funding boost

A new eight-chair general dental clinic will be built in Albany under a $13 million funding commitment in the 2022-23 WA Budget. The State Government on Tuesday announced there would be $158.3 million for regional health and mental health initiatives in next Thursday’s budget. Although a detailed breakdown of how the funding will apply to the Great Southern will not be available until next week, it has been confirmed $13 million will go towards the construction and operation of a new Albany General Dental Clinic. Premier Mark McGowan committed to doubling the capacity of the Albany dental clinic if re-elected in January 2021. Regional WA is set to receive 18 new paid paramedics and six ambulances under a $30.1 million commitment. A commitment of $11 million will ensure “there is a nurse 24/7 at every emergency department in the regions”, including at Albany Health Campus, according to the State Government. The WA Country Health Service Mental Health Emergency Telehealth Service will continue with $5.1 million funding, $5 million will address urgent critical staff accommodation issues, and nearly half a million additional Rapid Antigen Tests will be distributed across regional and remote WA. “The State Budget delivers a significant funding boost to communities across the State, including in key areas of need such as extra paramedics and in the child and adolescent mental health space,” Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said. “These investments are in addition to the support provided to Western Australians throughout the pandemic and while COVID-19 is still in the community.” However shadow health minister Libby Mettam said the pre-budget regional health announcement came up short. “It was extraordinary to hear the Health Minister admit they were still ‘rolling out the funding’ for paramedics in the regions from two years ago given we have seen a sharp escalation in ambulance ramping in country areas, which has had tragic consequences in the regions recently,” she said. “(This) announcement is nothing more than a future plan to fix a problem that is having real and dire consequences for WA patients right now.”