- Honouring 110 years of innovation and care for women and newborns
- More than 350,000 babies have been delivered at King Edward Memorial Hospital
- The hospital first opened its doors in 1916
- Celebrating the dedicated staff who have made the hospital what it is today
Western Australia’s largest tertiary women and newborn hospital is celebrating 110 years of leading maternity and gynaecology care to Western Australian women.
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.
Affectionately known by Western Australians as ‘King Eddie’s’, today it has more than 1200 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
The hospital has always been a proud leader in the development of new midwifery care models, offering WA women more birthing choices and continuity of care.
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.
This international recognition, demonstrates the highest standards of excellence, further strengthening KEMH’s reputation as a leading centre for women’s health, nationally, and globally.
As stated by Health Minister Meredith Hammat:
“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.
“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.”
