House of Assembly Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3) 51 3 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Transplant Patient TRANSPLANT PATIENT Ms CHAPMAN House of Assembly Bragg Deputy Leader of the Opposition TRANSPLANT PATIENT Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:47): Is the Minister for Health aware of the transplant kidney that was sacrificed last weekend as a result of an SA Ambulance bungle, and, if so, what action has been taken? The opposition has been informed that last weekend a kidney became available for transplant. SA Ambulance was requested to collect an elderly recipient, a Mount Gambier resident, and deliver him to the RFDS at the local airport. SA Ambulance decided not to disturb their representative in Mount Gambier and called a taxi to transport the man instead. The taxidriver collected the recipient, and then stopped at the local police station, apparently to report a personal matter, and told the recipient to wait in the car. As a result, he missed the transport back to Adelaide, the kidney was wasted, and the recipient still waits in Mount Gambier for a kidney. The Hon. J.D. HILL House of Assembly Kaurna Minister for Health Minister for the Southern Suburbs Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts TRANSPLANT PATIENT The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:48): I thank the deputy leader for the question. I am not aware of the circumstances that she refers to. I will happily get a report. I would not want to make the judgments that she has made in asking that question. I will certainly check out the facts. It would be regrettable if circumstances were such that a kidney, which had been donated, was wasted. I will point out to the house, though, that this year South Australia had a record number of organ donations, and we are now amongst the highest organ donors in the world. The success from the organ transplant schemes that we have in place in a number of our hospitals is absolutely outstanding. As I say, I am not aware of the circumstances she describes. I will get a report.