New $600m Women's and Children's Hospital to be built at new Royal Adelaide Hospital site in Adelaide A short State Government video showing artist designs for Adelaide's new Women's and Children's Hospital. A NEW Women's and Children's Hospital costing in excess of $600 million will be built at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital site to open in 2023, Premier Jay Weatherill has announced. The Australian Medical Association SA strongly supported the move after calling for it for some years. The state Liberals support the idea but don't believe it can be funded in this time-frame, while the University of Adelaide holds concerns over the future of its researchers based at the hospital. Mr Weatherill today said the move would give women, children and babies access to the most advanced acute hospital care. He said it was part of the State Government's long-term vision to build the Southern Hemisphere's largest and most advanced health and medical research precinct. An artist's impression of the front of the new Women's and Children's Hospital, at the new RAH site. "The current hospital building is ageing and has limited options for expansion," Mr Weatherill said. TELL US: What do you think of the plan? Post your comments below The new Women's and Children's Hospital would open in 2023 in an area already set aside within the new SA Health and Biomedical Precinct in the West End. Time lapse video of construction of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital. Courtesy: SA Government The hospital would have its own entrance separate from the new RAH, and paediatric services would remain separate from adult services. Health Minister Jack Snelling said the new Women's and Children's Hospital would keep its name but improve access to specialists and be a more efficient use of resources. He said the current hospital could not always provide general hospital services to women if needed during childbirth which means they were sometimes transferred to the RAH without their newborn AMA SA president Dr Patricia Montanaro said the current Women's and Children's Hospital site had ageing infrastructure, no helipad and inadequate car parking, but stressed consultation was needed to get the new hospital right. An artist's impression of the new Women's and Children's Hospital, at the new RAH site. University of Adelaide vice chancellor Warren Bebbington said any move would also require the university's Robinson Institute to relocate, affecting 500 clinical and research staff. The previous decision to move the RAH ... had enormous and costly consequences for the university medical school. We look forward to working with the State Government to ensure accommodating the affiliated clinical and research staff is handled better, and from the very beginning," he said. Opposition health spokesman Rob Lucas said a similar hospital built in Victoria six years ago cost more than $1 billion so, while moving it should be a goal, it would not be possible in the next 10 years given the state's finances. Mr Snelling said the government would now work with clinicians to develop the design and implementation of the new facility and consult the wider community. Take a first look through the new Royal Adelaide Hospital in this animated video. The process for this initial feedback will be open until Sunday, November 24, 2013.