Chemotherapy Treatment

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:18): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Health and Wellbeing a question about SA Health's chemotherapy program.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: On 31 October, The Advertiser reported that SA Health's disastrous chemotherapy bungle continues, with a computer program designed to prevent a repeat of underdosing being dumped. As we know, that bungle involved 10 seriously ill cancer patients being underdosed during their chemotherapy treatment between 2014 and 2015, with four, sadly, dying. In what can only be described as a major setback, SA Health has revealed that it had been forced to retender for a backup computer system after a risk assessment found the requirements in the first tender were not up to scratch.

In 2010, the state government allocated $4.9 million for a new state electronic cancer information and prescribing system. However, tenders for a dedicated chemo dosage system were suspended a year later because of the decision to purchase EPAS. So nearly 10 years on there is still no dedicated chemotherapy dosage system. My questions to the minister are:

1. When did you first became aware of the decision to retender?

2. Do you think it is appropriate that SA is the only state in the country, and possibly the Western world, that doesn't have a bona fide chemo program?

3. Are you concerned about the revelations, especially in light of the previous scathing findings of the Coroner, which attributed four deaths to the chemo bungle?

4. What, if any, of those recommendations from the Coroner have been implemented to date?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:20): I thank the honourable member for her question. In terms of the aborted tender process in relation to the single enterprise chemotherapy prescribing system, I am very disappointed that that tender process was not robust and had to be aborted. It has delayed a long overdue IT enhancement. The honourable member is correct to highlight the issue in relation to the chemotherapy underdosing that occurred in the metropolitan area, but also the prescribing system is really important to support the ongoing enhancement of country chemotherapy services.

If a prescribing system was in place, country patients would be able to have a higher level of complexity of chemotherapy delivered in a country context. To say that I am disappointed is an understatement. I accept that the process has been corrupted and that a new process needs to be undertaken, and I am looking forward to that outcome as soon as possible.