Country Health Services

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (14:36): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding country health.

Leave granted.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: This week, a country GP in Maitland, in the heart of Yorke Peninsula, wrote to the minister raising serious concerns about patient care. A palliative care patient presented to the local hospital for pain relief after their local GP had provided updated case details to the hospital. The correspondence states that the patient was seen by a locum and 'informed that there was nothing they could do for him, and he was sent home'.

The GP was 'disgusted when I heard about the treatment of my patient that morning' and went on to further say, 'I am extremely concerned about the future of palliative care at this hospital and have no confidence in referring patients to the hospital if this is any indication of the likely treatment that they will receive.' In a subsequent email to me, the GP said:

It's heartbreaking, to know I would do that job so much better, but just don't have the time. It adds insult to injury when the locums are paid 7 times the amount that we have been paid. It doesn't support long term sustainable health care provision in country hospitals.

My questions to the minister are: what has gone so wrong in country health that palliative care patients who have only days or weeks to live can't get pain relief, even after their GP has personally gone to the hospital to provide that supporting information? If a local GP is questioning the capabilities of a local hospital, why isn't the minister?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:38): I thank the honourable member for her question. I will certainly follow up the letter that the honourable member refers to and seek details in relation to the case.

I think it's a timely opportunity to highlight that the Marshall Liberal government has recently come to an agreement with rural doctors in relation to the fee-for-service agreement. It's a once-in-a-generation development of the agreement and will see a significant increase in the remuneration for country doctors and other entitlements and facilities. I am certainly hopeful that agreement will enhance the attractiveness of engaging in country hospitals from GPs. There is no doubt that the engagement of a local GP in a local hospital provides continuity of care and other benefits that are greatly valued by the community and are also facilitative of positive health outcomes.

I would just inform the honourable member that locums, as I am advised, started to be significantly used in South Australia about 10 years ago. That happens to have been during the long years of neglect of country health by the former Labor government. I think it was a former Labor Premier—

The Hon. E.S. Bourke interjecting:

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —who said, 'We don't worry about what happens in the country. They don't vote for us there.'

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: And then the current leader wants to forget all that.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: He wants to forget that Mike Rann said, 'We would never, ever close the Repat.'

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: He wants to forget that Jay Weatherill said, 'Country people, they're not ours.' These are not things that country people forget.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: These are not things that country people forget.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable Leader of the Opposition, order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: They know that they couldn't trust Labor—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Mr Hunter!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —on the promise on the Repat. They couldn't trust Labor on looking after their health services either.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Bourke, you have a supplementary question. I will be fascinated to know how you heard what the actual answer was, but have a go anyhow.