LYMPHOEDEMA ASSESSMENT CLINIC

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:13): I seek leave to make another ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: The opposition health spokesperson today called a press conference claiming that the government is closing a lymphoedema clinic at Flinders Medical Centre and putting patients thereby at risk. This claim is absolutely wrong.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Laugh! They laugh at their own lies. This is extraordinary.

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: This is absolutely—

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order, member for MacKillop.

Mr WILLIAMS: The minister just said that the opposition is making lies and impugned that we are lying. I believe that is unparliamentary, and I ask him to withdraw and apologise for the imputation.

The SPEAKER: Minister, perhaps you would like to reword your statement.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: I withdraw the comment. The claim is wrong. It is untruthful. It is not accurate. This is a private clinic which makes its own decisions about its location. It has not been told by the government or any of our agencies to move. It chose, itself, to find an alternative location. Lymphoedema occurs—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Lymphoedema occurs when the lymphatic system does not work properly, which can be a result of a range of things but includes surgery for breast cancer. This results in the long-term swelling of part or parts of the body, particularly the upper arms. I am advised that the team of private allied health staff and the Flinders University researcher who run the clinic have elected to cease the clinic from 1 July so that they can review the demand for their services, which has changed over time from purely breast cancer patients to other patients as well. I understand that the profile of patients with lymphoedema conditions has changed, in part because of the outstanding work undertaken by Professor Neil Piller.

Members in this place should be aware of Professor Piller because I organised for the professor to come into parliament to give a briefing on the research that he was undertaking, the work that he has done. As a result of the work that he is doing, a smaller number of people now need to have services to help lymphoedema because they no longer have their lymph system removed as an automatic part of breast surgery.

Public cancer patients will, of course, continue to receive cancer services in a range of public hospitals in Adelaide and around the state, as is currently the case. Cancer specialists can seek further assistance or advice from a lymphoedema specialist if they believe it is necessary to treat their patients. This is currently the case and will not change. The opposition should learn to check its facts. They are so fast to jump into any issue and make whatever political capital they can choose. They do not care about the impact on the patients or how people are scared. That is what they do: they scare people who are vulnerable. They should be ashamed!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Finniss!