Ageing community health facilities will be the subject of a review to inform a long-term program of upgrades, a new infrastructure plan for Canberra's health system reveals.
Four new health centres will also be built in the ACT over the next decade, with the plan revealing the preferred locations to be in Conder, Griffith, Ginninderry and Casey.
Last week's territory budget included $16.6 million over four years to design and construct a new heath centre in Conder, while planning and preliminary design work is completed on centres in Casey and Griffith.
The community health care facility renewal program is expected to cost between $50 million and $100 million, with funding to be considered over at least the next decade.
"The government will consult key stakeholders - including community health providers and NGOs - in the development of this program to ensure community health facilities are in the right location, are functional for clinicians, welcoming for patients, and environmentally sustainable," the infrastructure plan said.
The health infrastructure plan, to be released by the ACT government on Tuesday, will the COVID-19 pandemic increased demand for health care in some parts of the system and revealed care delays in other areas.
"It also highlighted capacity constraints within our health system and reinforced the need for more accessible services in the community, closer to the homes of Canberrans," the updated plan, the first since the emergence of COVID-19, said.
"Planning for new and upgraded health facilities, including a new hospital in Canberra's north, will support resilience of the ACT health system."
Other projects in the plan include an acute palliative care ward at the Canberra Hospital, an expansion of endoscopy services, a new cancer research centre, and a health precinct at Watson.
The plan also sets out the government's intention to build a new $1 billion hospital at the former Calvary Public Hospital in Bruce, which it took over on Monday and renamed North Canberra Hospital.
Funding for projects to deliver on a masterplan at the Canberra Hospital in Woden will be considered over the next two decades, the plan shows.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the new critical services building at Canberra Hospital would give Canberrans access to one of Australia's best public hospital facilities and demonstrate what patients could expect at a new North Canberra Hospital.
"The government is committed to building and maintaining a public health system that provides the right care, in the right place, at the right time. This reflects our commitment to improving acute services infrastructure and delivering more health services in the community," Mr Barr said.
Construction of the new hospital in Bruce is expected to commence "mid-decade", the government's plan said.
"The ACT government is investing $64.2 million over two years to progress this project to detailed design, with an amount provisioned for construction," the plan said.
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