ALMOST $17 million is being spent on the new Critical Services Building as part of the already announced Canberra Hospital redevelopment. 

The ACT government says the new area will be a bigger emergency department with more operating theatres and beds.

The building will also be “future proofed” for pandemic response, with $8.1 million to be spent on measures such as enhanced air conditioning to better filter and isolate the circulation of air.

Another $4.9 million will fund an expansion of the building’s Central Sterilising Service Department, meaning equipment can be sterilised faster and more efficiently onsite, improving hospital service delivery.

The building will also be equipped with a $3.9 million Angio-CT machine in a hybrid theatre, which enables imaging of critically unwell patients in the operating theatre in real-time. 

The government says all eight levels of the new Critical Services Building are expected to be completed in coming months, with installation of facade and internal fit outs before the 2024 completion.