COUNTRY HEALTH CARE PLAN

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (14:55): My question is also to the Minister for Health. Which of the four general hospitals in the country health plan will my constituent, who lives in Mannum who has a heart condition and who should not live more than 20 minutes from a hospital go to, now that the hospital will be turned into a GP Plus centre?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:56): The point I—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Our proposition is that, in the Mallee/Coorong area, a country health hospital will be established at Murray Bridge. Also, of course, the Berri Hospital will be re-established. A broader range of services will be provided at the Murray Bridge Hospital. Karoonda, Lameroo, Pinnaroo, Mannum, Meningie, Tailem Bend, and so on, will provide emergency responses in line with community needs. So, in terms of emergencies, services will be provided there. There will be more services in some of the other hospitals, which I have described, which will be able to look after people situated at Mannum.

I say to the member that what we need to do and what we are attempting to do over the next six weeks—and, indeed, over the next number of years—is to work with the doctors and communities in those country towns to establish the best pathway for them so that we can build this set of connections to help that community. I would say to the member: think about it rather than react so aggressively before you have been through the consultation process.