Modbury Hospital

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (15:08): My question is again to the Minister for Health. Given that acute surgery and orthopaedics will be transferred from the Modbury Hospital to the Lyell McEwin Hospital as part of Transforming Health, will patients have to come back to Modbury if they need rehabilitation?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (15:08): I imagine they will want to. If you live in Modbury or in the environs of Modbury and you need lengthy rehabilitation then yes, you would.

I would say a couple of things: firstly, there will be rehabilitation for the initial phase of someone's treatment at the Lyell McEwin Hospital, and they have the facilities to do that, but for the longer-term rehabilitation, that will be done at Modbury Hospital. Indeed, with the new building what it would mean is that patients will have to spend less time in hospital because they will be able to undertake rehabilitation in an outpatient environment rather than having to be kept in hospital for extensive periods of time.