About WA Health
WA Health is Western Australia’s public health system.
Our vision
Healthier, longer and better quality lives for all Western Australians.
Our mission
To improve, promote and protect the health of Western Australians by:
- Caring for individuals and the community
- Caring for those who need it most
- Making the best use of funds and resources
- Supporting our team
Read more about our vision, mission and values in our Strategic Intent 2010-2015.
Our services include:
- public hospitals and community health services
- health protection through public health services and disaster preparedness management
- mental health services including in-patient services, crisis management and community treatment and support services
- drug and alcohol information, prevention and treatment services
- dental health services including school dental health and public community dental services
- Aboriginal health services.
Also see our A to Z index of health topics and services.
Get the latest news, developments and initiatives within Western Australia's vibrant health sector in our magazine Healthview.
Hospital Building Projects - building for a healthy future
Over the next five years, $5 billion will be invested in health care building projects to meet the needs of the future.
Across Perth and around the state, WA Health is building a network of hospitals and health services closer to where people live.
Regional developments will ease the pressure on families and individuals who have to travel long distances to Perth for care and treatment.
Facts and figures
We employ 40,000 staff and provide health services across the state of Western Australia to around 2.3 million people in metropolitan, rural and remote areas. In 2010, we:
- handled 865,000 emergency department visits
- completed 78,000 elective surgery cases
- carried out 97,000 breast cancer screenings
- carried out 154,000 school dental examinations
We provide up-to-date statistics on WA public hospital activity.
Our Operational Plan (PDF 333KB) details the key targets and initiatives we aim to deliver.
We report on our performance each year in our Annual Report.
The Director General of Health is Mr Kim Snowball. The Department of Health reports to two Ministers:
The Director General of Health is Mr Kim Snowball. He is supported by the State Health Executive Forum (SHEF), pictured below.
Back row, L to R: Dr David Russell-Weisz, Chief Executive, North Metropolitan Area Health Service; Dr Tarun Weeramanthri, Executive Director, Public Health Division; Kim Snowball, Director General; Ian Smith, Chief Executive Officer, WA Country Health Service; Alan Piper, Acting Chief Information Officer; Dr Simon Towler, Chief Medical Officer; Wayne Salvage, Acting Executive Director, Resource Strategy and Infrastructure.
Front row, L to R: Patsy Turner, Director, Director General’s Division; Gail Milner, Acting Executive Director, Innovation and Health System Reform; Catherine Stoddart, Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer; Jenni Collard, Director, Aboriginal Health Division; Dr Dorothy Jones, Executive Director, Performance, Activity and Quality; Nicole Feely, Chief Executive, South Metropolitan Area Health Service.
Not pictured: Philip Aylward, Chief Executive, Child and Adolescent Health Service.