Modbury Hospital

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:25): Let's just clarify the situation. So we actually have an emergency surgery capability—

The SPEAKER: Is this going to be a question or a statement?

Mr MARSHALL: No, it's a question. Can the minister confirm that we have an emergency surgery capability at the Modbury Hospital in place at the moment which is unable to be accessed by emergency surgery patients?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:25): What we have, as I said, is overnight 18—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader will be warned by me for the very last time. If he utters another word outside standing orders, he will be removed under the sessional order. Minister.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: What we have and what we developed in consultation with the doctors there is to have on call a surgical team who can come into the hospital after hours to care for a patient who has deteriorated. That is not emergency surgery in the sense that you have for someone presenting to an emergency department needing emergency surgery. It is available overnight.

Obviously, during the day, if a patient deteriorates during the day, there is a surgical team already there because they would have done the elective surgery. What the Leader of the Opposition is confusing this with is having a surgical team on call. They are not in the hospital. They are there, they are on call so that they can be phoned overnight after hours should a patient deteriorate and should they need to be rushed into theatre. That is quite different from what we are talking about—

Mr Wingard interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Mitchell is called to order.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —or what the Leader of the Opposition thinks he is talking about. If only he understood.