Regional Hospital Helipads

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (15:07): My question is to the Minister for Health. Can the minister advise if there are any impediments to the helipads at the Murray Bridge Soldiers' Memorial Hospital and Mannum hospital being operational? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr PEDERICK: Both helipads have not been used since September last year and the opposition believes all upgrades were completed in April this year.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:07): At the risk of repeating myself from previous answers, those two helipads are in the cohort of the six out of the 13 that we haven't yet opened. We have now opened seven out of the 13. We are continuing to work with Babcock, who are the helicopter operator who need to sanction the opening of those helipads.

These are not decisions that the government or SA Health can make; these are up to helicopter operators themselves to certify that they can open. We are working with them. I have appointed Wayne Champion, who is in fact also the local health network CEO for Riverland Mallee Coorong where the member's electorate is based, to coordinate that work. We are providing as much support to him as possible to make sure that can happen. I have also met with the CEO of Babcock as well and expressed the government's desire to see this issue addressed as soon as possible and to make sure that we can get these helipads open for the community.

Of course, it's worth noting as well, in relation to those helipads and all other helipads across the state, while those construction works have been undertaken, all the commissioning works are still being undertaken, there are contingencies in place to make sure that helicopter retrievals can still occur to and from those hospitals, and that's certainly the case in terms of those two hospitals that have been mentioned.