The new Royal Adelaide Hospital will likely need to have reconstructive surgery on its emergency department, only eight months after opening.

It's already one of the world's most expensive buildings, according to the construction data website Emporis.  The project was beset with delays and cost overruns, and came in with a price tag of $2.3 Billion when the doors finally opened last September.

The problem now is the size of the eight resuscitation rooms in the emergency unit - they're too small.  Apparently, the rooms were not designed for the task, and staff is too cramped while attempting to treat critically ill and injured patients.

"There's not enough room for clinicians to be able to access critically unwell patients and there are problems in disposing of sharp objects and soiled equipment," said South Australia Health Minister Stephen Wade over the weekend.  "In the short term, minor structural modifications in two of the resuscitation rooms involving repositioning and relocating equipment are being undertaken to improve the ability of the RAH to deal with level-one trauma."  Mr. Wade says modifying the rooms will "require major structural work, involving architects, engineers and builders at a substantial cost to taxpayers".

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) says its members had warned about the size of the rooms since before the opening and have expressed concerns since.