MODBURY HOSPITAL

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (14:37): Again, my question is to the Minister for Health. Is it correct that children who are assessed at the Modbury Hospital as requiring transfer to the Lyell McEwin Hospital will have to wait an average of at least three hours for an ambulance?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:37): It will depend on how serious their condition is. Obviously a child who presents at the Modbury Hospital with a serious condition, in need of urgent medical treatment, will firstly receive that treatment in the emergency department. They will be triaged, the same as any other patient is, and if their condition requires immediate attention, then they will receive that.

If their condition requires further treatment at one of our tertiary hospitals, whether that be the children's or the Lyell McEwin, they will be prioritised and transferred to the hospital. For some, that may mean a longer wait. For others, if their condition is serious and they need immediate transfer, they will be immediately transferred. It will depend on the seriousness of their condition, and that is exactly what happens at the moment, as the member for Florey points out.