The South Australian government will spend $528 million to build a new women's hospital in Adelaide, with the work to create 1900 jobs be completed by 2024.
But the government has put on hold a plan to also deliver a new children's hospital within the same facility, leading to opposition claims of broken promises.
Instead, Labor has opted to spend $24 million on upgrading the existing Women's and Children's Hospital, while at the same time pledging to identify a site by 2019 for the new children's hospital.
The funding commitments will be included in Thursday's state budget, part of $1 billion in commitments to Adelaide's major metropolitan hospitals.
Premier Jay Weatherill said the decision to split the two hospitals was taken on advice from clinicians and was regarded as world's best practice.
"We are investing more than $550 million to protect the health of our women, children and newborns at some of the most vulnerable times in their lives," he said.
"The new Adelaide Women's Hospital will be a modern, purpose-built facility that will care for women and newborns for many generations."
But Opposition Leader Steven Marshall said the advice of clinicians to the Liberal Party had been that it was best for the women's and children's hospital to be established in the same complex, on the same site.
He said that's what a future Liberal government would deliver and Labor's latest move should be regarded as a broken promise.
"The simple fact of the matter is Jay Weatherill made an announcement in 2013 that he would deliver a co-located women's and children's hospital on that site," he said.
"What we've seen since then is delays, scaling back and now almost abandoning the original project."
The government has already pledged $250 million plan to build a new emergency department and operating theatres at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and $9 million for upgrades at the Modbury Hospital.
It backed that up with $56 million for the Lyell McEwin Hospital and the Flinders Medical Centre.
Despite splashing the cash, the Australian Medical Association said the government's health strategy remained "confused and poorly managed".
AMA state president William Tam said the government had focused too much on buildings while undermining clinical services, teaching and research.
