Western Australia’s largest tertiary women and newborn hospital is celebrating 110 years of leading maternity and gynaecology care.
In 1916, King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH) began with 32 staff and delivered 304 babies in its first year. Today it is a comprehensive multidisciplinary hub providing innovative healthcare to women and newborns.
“King Edward Memorial Hospital is a leader in its field, an advocate for women’s health care, but, above all, its success belongs to the special people behind the service who offer extraordinary care every day,” said Health Minister, Meredith Hammat.
“I congratulate and thank all those who work or who have ever worked at KEMH on this fantastic milestone and the contribution you have made to support Western Australians over the years.
“It is thanks to the amazing people behind the hospital that we are celebrating this extraordinary milestone and look back at the extraordinary progress that has been achieved in women’s health in Western Australia.”
Affectionately known by Western Australians as ‘King Eddie’s’, today it has more than 1,200 healthcare workers caring for more than 5,500 births each year.
It is the referral centre for complex, high-risk pregnancies in Western Australian, with one in every two women cared for at the hospital experiencing complex medical conditions.
Each year, KEMH cares for thousands of women with gynaecological conditions, including cancers, provides service and support for women experiencing perinatal mental health issues, and provides intensive care for almost 2,300 premature and critically ill newborns annually in its neonatal intensive care unit
KEMH’s leading gynaecology services include a State-wide cancer service for women at risk of or with a gynaecologic cancer diagnosis. Gynaecology clinics cover endometriosis, complex pelvic pain, menopause, and urogynaecology.
This year KEMH became the first hospital in Australia to receive accreditation from the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology in May 2026.
