Hospital Transfers

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (14:43): My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister rule out SA Health or the SA Ambulance Service contracting out interhospital transfer of patients?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:44): I will need to get some advice from the department. I think it is probably unlikely. I think my recollection is that interhospital transfers that are done by the SA Ambulance Service are done not by full paramedics but by people with a lower level of qualification. I will need to check but to my knowledge I do not think there are any plans to do that.