Surgery Services

The Hon. T.T. NGO (14:53): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding health. Yesterday afternoon a woman contacted the opposition distressed that her urgent lung cancer surgery had been cancelled. This surgery, the removal of an upper lobe of the lung containing a malignant tumour, was booked in just last Thursday for this coming Monday at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

When this woman asked her surgeon what would happen if her surgery was cancelled due to COVID restrictions, he said, and I quote, 'It won't get cancelled. This is not an elective surgery.' The woman phoned the surgeon's rooms yesterday following up on her appointment and after several follow-up calls was advised that her surgery, along with all surgery on that patient list, was being cancelled due to, and I quote, 'orders from above'. They couldn't explain why. My questions to the minister are:

1. Why has urgent lung surgery been cancelled at the Royal Adelaide Hospital?

2. How many patients have had their surgery cancelled?

3. Are there any other surgery categories that are being cancelled at the Royal Adelaide Hospital or any other hospital and, if so, why?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:55): I thank the honourable member for his question. I don't think the statement in relation to COVID is relevant at all. Let's be clear: there are active cases of COVID in South Australia but there is no evidence of COVID in the community. We need to keep testing; we need to keep following public health measures.

The cancellation of the lung cancer surgeries at the Royal Adelaide Hospital did not relate to COVID. My understanding is it related to staffing matters. There were, as I understand it, three cases that needed to be cancelled. CALHN is working to reschedule these surgeries as quickly as possible, and this includes planning additional theatre lists at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Obviously, with a large health service with 44,000 staff, from time to time there are disruptions in services, but let me stress again: in spite of the insinuation of the honourable member, this had nothing to do with COVID.