Cabinet has endorsed a staged redevelopment of the existing Colonial War Memorial Hospital after a preliminary plan estimated that building a new National Tertiary Hospital at Valelevu would cost about $5.35 billion.
The Preliminary Master Plan for the proposed Valelevu hospital estimated the project would cost about FJD$5.35 billion, with about FJD$1.4 billion required for the first stage of construction.
Cabinet says given the significant upfront investment required and limited financing commitments, the next stages of planning will instead focus on redeveloping the existing CWM Hospital site.
The staged approach would allow critical hospital infrastructure to be progressively upgraded while health services continue to operate.
It would also allow the Government to spread investment across several budget cycles and pursue financing from development partners.
Cabinet says the redevelopment would support the integration of other planned health investments at the CWM campus, including oncology and radiotherapy infrastructure.
The Feasibility Study and Business Case will now proceed on the basis of a staged redevelopment of CWM Hospital as the Government looks to strengthen Fiji's national tertiary health infrastructure.
