Women's and Children's Health Network Cochlear Implant Program

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (14:49): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. When was the minister first advised of issues with the Women's and Children's Hospital cochlear ear implant program? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mrs HURN: At least 30 children's cochlear implants were incorrectly programmed at the Women's and Children's Hospital causing potentially irreversible damage to the children involved. The opposition has been advised that the issue was raised with the Women's and Children's Hospital network in April 2022.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:49): As I have run through in my ministerial statement, there are concerns about this issue, which I reiterate. In terms of the specific question, I understand I was advised about this in August last year before a statement was put out on this subject in September last year making it clear that the Women's and Children's Hospital health network were going back and contacting all of those families involved and undertaking a recheck of those audiology patients to make sure that the mapping had occurred as appropriate.

That statement was put out publicly in September last year, I understand. I believe it was reported in The Advertiser at the time and I believe the opposition also asked me, about the same time, about this issue as well. Importantly, the health network worked to make sure that they went back through the cases, undertook analysis of those cases that have occurred, and made sure they provided support and follow-up to the people to firstly assess whether there was an issue, secondly to assess how difficult the issue was and thirdly to provide that additional support.

Now, as I said in my ministerial statement, we are in a situation where at least 30 of those patients had an undermapped cochlear implant over the past five years, at least. I think that that necessitates us now going to an external review in terms of the running of this program and that's what we are putting in place.