COUNTRY HEALTH CARE PLAN

The Hon. G.M. GUNN (Stuart) (14:56): I also direct my question to the Minister for Health. He seems to be a popular minister today.

The Hon. J.D. Hill: Thank you very much for that recognition of my popularity.

The Hon. G.M. GUNN: Only here—not out in the country areas! I was distracted, Mr Speaker. Will the minister advise the house how his Country Health Care Plan fits in with the comments made by the government during the election campaign and as announced on 2 February 2002, when the Premier said that not one public hospital would be privatised or closed under Labor in the country or in the city?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. G.M. GUNN: Just be patient. The house would be aware that the Country Health Care Plan, released after the budget, put forward a number of recommendations that will remove services, downgrade hospitals and deny country people what is their basic right: a decent health service.

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:58): I thank the father of the house for his question, and I indulge him his commentary. I thank him for acknowledging my great popularity, particularly in regional South Australia. The reason for that popularity—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Well, it may not be acknowledged yet, but I am sure that in future times, as people understand how I am improving country health, I will indeed be very popular. What we have in place in country South Australia at the moment—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: These are profound words I am about to give to you, so I suggest you listen. At the moment, in country South Australia, particularly in smaller communities, we have a history of services disappearing from towns over time as a result of decisions made, largely, by private practitioners—either they retire or they move to another community. So, one day in a particular community we might have birthing, but the next day the doctor leaves and that stops. Where do people then go? There are no arrangements necessarily put in place once the doctor decides to go. In some communities, we have surgical procedures put in place and then, when the doctor goes, those surgical provisions are no longer available.

Our strategy is to try to put in place a platform of services so that people in country South Australia can be guaranteed access to a proper range of services into the future. So, as part of our strategy, we will identify the four major hospitals where we will build up services across a whole range of areas and, over time, salaried medical officers will staff those hospitals, be involved in training and provide services across a broader range of areas.

In addition, we will have about 12 hospitals in moderate sized communities—places such as Clare, Millicent and Kangaroo Island—where we will also build up services. There will not be as many salaried officers in those places but, rather, more fly-in specialists, who will work closely with the GP specialists and GP proceduralists to ensure we have a sufficient range of services so that there is a broad range of surgical, medical and birthing arrangements in place. It would mean that 85 per cent of country South Australians would be within an hour of one of those 16 hospitals.

In the 43 other hospitals, which are the smaller hospitals, services come and go as doctors come and go. As a result of concerns expressed in the country, we have identified 30 of those smaller hospitals where we think there is unlikely to be much change over the next 10 years because of staffing arrangements or doctors currently in place. We have identified about 13 hospitals where a very small range of services are currently provided. They are hospitals where no birthing happens now and no surgery happens now. All they do is deliver GP services and some medical acute admissions.

I will give members a flavour of what happens in those hospitals. I will refer to a number of them. In the case of Karoonda (in the electorate of Hammond) there were 185 days in 2007 when there was not one patient in that hospital—for about half the year there was not one patient in that hospital. In the case of Snowtown (the member for Frome's electorate) there were 178 days in 2007 when there were no patients. In Pinnaroo (the member for Hammond's electorate) on 170 days there were no patients in the hospital. In Hawker, which borders the electorates of Stuart and Giles, there were 100 days in 2007 when there were no patients in the hospital.

The question I put to the opposition is: how can you justify empty hospitals? What we are saying through this Country Health Plan—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The house will come to order. The Minister for Health.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Thank you, Mr Speaker. What we are saying through the Country Health Care Plan is that we will work with the 13 or 14 individual communities which I have identified and which have only minimal services. We will work with those communities and the health advisory boards in those towns, under the chair of the task force (which I have announced), to determine the appropriate range of services to meet the real needs of the people in those communities.

This is about trying to work out what services are needed in those towns. They do not have surgery now and they do not have birthing now. They have a minimum range of services. We want to increase primary health care, particularly in those communities. We want to ensure that wherever they are in country South Australia they have better access to surgical and birthing options in other hospitals in nearby communities.

That is what the plan is about. It is about a strategic approach. The continual references to downgrading and closing, and so on, are just absolute nonsense. They are totally dishonest claims. This is about the provision of better health services right across country South Australia. Members opposite are playing short-term politics and not looking at the big picture, which is about the long-term interests of country South Australians and their health.