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It is, uh, due to maintenance issues.
So, I, I'll get to, uh, things you want to correct in, in a moment, Minister, but, sure. How did, how did the paper get hold of this? Has someone got an axe to grind in there?
Look, I, I understand we've got a big health system. Uh, and so from time to time, uh, people release information. We have FOIs. I mean, it could be a whole different range of issues. I suppose I'm on the program to address, uh, some of those issues raised, but also to assure West Australians listening that, uh, yes, we recognize we've got aging infrastructure, but contrary to what the opposition is claiming, we are doing huge investment to upgrade our hospitals across the state.
Basil made the point, Minister, that, uh, these, these work orders were raised by, by staff and by people who work in the system. So, I guess we, we're not questioning the legitimacy of the work orders, are we?
Well, what I'm saying is there were 500, 592 work orders issued. So the thousand number the papers run with. Um, but I'll give examples. Uh, it talked about a pipe failure. Uh, what it didn't mention or admitted was that was caused by, I'm advised, towels being flushed down toilets. So it wasn't the pipe age. It was that someone put towels in a toilet. Now, you can guess that that when you do that, uh, you have problems and, and you get, you have to do work orders. Uh, but the other point I make is people fill out work orders, uh, but they don't necessarily know the reasons or they make an initial assessment. So, uh, the paper focused on this idea there was a radioactive waste leak. That's not the case. I'm advised there was no radioactive leak involved, a non-hazardous water leak in a pipe, but it was a sub-pipe that patients and other staff do not have access to. So I accept there's aging infrastructure. I'm on the record. We're doing investment to tackle it. But some of the story was just wrong.
Minister, you know, we've talked about ambulance ramping, um, on the show a number of times because that's the, the obvious KPI that is, and it has some politics in it as well. You know, the, the number of ramping hours outside our hospitals. We've talked about that a fair bit. I guess, um, I think there's, there's some frustration in the listeners and with me in that we, we are spending $14.2 billion on health, but we have massive ambulance ramping hours. Uh, and we have this system of Charlie Gardens. Are we spending, I guess my basic question, are we spending the money in the wrong place? Is it, is it too top-heavy? Is there too much bureaucracy, for example?
Look, I, I can understand that people, you know, I, I understand there can be a frustration, but, you know, we're not alone in this, Simon. And I say this, every state in the country is facing incredible pressures on the hospital system. And, you know, COVID's radically reshaped that, but also because we've got extraordinary population growth and, uh, we need more aged care beds. There is a large number of people in the hospital system, around 250 at any one time, that should be in the aged care system. Now, what I want to assure your listeners is there is unprecedented investment, but we are working hard to increase bed capacity and increase inflow. So there's a lot of different measures. Uh, and as the Health Minister has said, there's not one solution, but, you know, we're trying to prevent people from, uh, from arriving at the EDs, going to alternative measures where they don't need that emergency help. But my job is to increase bed capacity, and we are investing $3.2 billion to increase the number of beds and upgrade hospitals.
Minister, I asked the Leader of the Opposition this question as well. Do we keep trying to patch up Charlie's, or will you take to cabinet and to the Treasurer the notion of a new hospital in the metro area?
Look, can I say this? We are, as I've said, doing huge health investment. Uh, and we are building a new Women's and Babies Hospital. Uh, and we are also doing an ED upgrade and ICU unit there. But I do this, I, I would make this point. There's only so much, uh, capacity in the construction market at any one time. And it is also specialized. So, for example, Simon, I've been on the record before. We might go out for a tender where you get limited interest, or you only get one tender actually applying to do significant works. So there's only so much works that the industry can bear in terms of health infrastructure. And we're doing a lot, you know, we're, we're doing the single biggest, uh, rebuild and investment in a regional hospital in Bunbury. We're doing Laverton, we're doing Geraldton, we're doing the Women's and Babies, we're doing Osborne Park. So, of course, you will see more investment in infrastructure and building that capacity, but the market ultimately is limited in what it can deliver.
Final one from me, Minister. One of the other lines in, in the story in the reporting today is there has been, has there been, um, is it accurate to say there's been a cutback in the maintenance at Charlie's over the last few years?
Look, uh, what I will say is I will go back to the infrastructure spend. So, we've got a $3.2 billion spend. Uh, and that is obviously a rolling program, upgrades across the hospital system, and that does include Charlie's. So, I'll, I'll be on the record. $50 million for a new ED and all the works associated with that. Uh, and also $25 million for a new intensive care unit. So Charlie's is getting a, a good, uh, burst of funding or a good investment in those upgrades, and I'll tell you there will be more to, there will be, uh, more to come, and we look to the, the health service providers to provide us the recommendations to make the funding investment.
So this is a story about maintenance, Minister. If, are you saying because the spend's coming that maintenance has been pulled back?
No, what I'm saying it's a, it's a rolling program. Uh, it does change from time to time, but what I'm actually saying is that what the story doesn't cover, and I, I'll be on the record. For example, there was one ICU bed that did close for five days, and I'm on the record about that. Uh, but that, you know, a work order was issued, a pipe was fixed, and that bed came back into order. So, those, uh, 592 work orders, we are, we responded to them, we worked through it. It is aging infrastructure. I'm not denying that, and there will be, uh, future planning for more works as is the case across the hospital system.
Uh, thanks for your time this morning, Minister. Appreciate you talking to our, our listeners. Thank you.