Matters of Interest

Queen Elizabeth Hospital

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (15:27): The first successful kidney transplant operation to take place in all of Australia occurred on 21 February 1965. It was a Sunday, which was quite unusual, but as it turns out it was in fact deliberate. The donor of the kidney was a person not related by blood to the recipient, which was also extremely unusual for the time. The donor was the recipient's father-in-law. This was a remarkable act of love and sacrifice from one family member to another. Prominent transplant surgeon Peter Knight was recruited from Boston to lead the endeavour.

There was some degree of public outcry at the time, with views that the concept of unrelated transplant was immoral and concerns that the complex and experimental surgery could kill both patients, and that is why the operation took place on a sleepy Sunday to avoid some attention. After all, during this era, the early mortality rate following transplants was as high as 50 per cent.

But in defiance of expectation and because of innovations in the new field of immunosuppressive therapy and the skill of the surgeons, the successful transplant lasted for 11 years before the kidney ultimately failed and the patient had to recommence dialysis. During those 11 precious years, the recipient was able to live a normal life. He resumed full-time work and, crucially, he was able to be with his young family as they grew up.

The achievements of the hospital that performed this kidney transplant operation helped to progress and ultimately to transform the global science of organ transplantation. I wonder whether members are aware that what I describe—this Australian-first, globally remarkable event—took place in two operating theatres within the obstetric wing of our own Queen Elizabeth Hospital. But this is not a speech about kidney transplants.

Today, it is my privilege to highlight and celebrate that 2024 marks the 70^th anniversary of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The QEH opened in 1954 as a maternity hospital. Originally designed to service the western suburbs, The QEH is now widely utilised by patients from the central northern region of Adelaide.

In the lead-up to the 2002 state election, Mike Rann campaigned in opposition against Liberal plans for its privatisation, and The QEH was the beneficiary of consistent investment from both the Rann and Weatherill Labor governments, with many millions of dollars and significant efforts dedicated towards its expansion and redevelopment over nearly two decades. The strengthening of The QEH capacity and capabilities continues under the Malinauskas Labor government.

Construction of 52 new beds at The QEH is nearing completion. The $314 million clinical services building will feature a modern emergency department almost 50 per cent larger than the current ED, with a new three-bed rapid assessment zone to shorten the waiting time for patients and to streamline patient flow through the ED and the hospital. The new ED also features a four-bed mental health safe assessment area, providing a safe, therapeutic environment for mental health patients requiring assessment and treatment within the ED.

The clinical services building will also include 12 state-of-the-art operating theatres with advanced digital technology to assist in surgical decision-making and treatment. Other features include a larger 14-bed ICU, a new MRI machine and two CT scanners, as well as a new procedural suite and cardiac catheter lab. I am proud to be part of a government that believes in investing in our health system and does not believe that new hospital beds represent wasted money.

In addition to that broad sense of pride, The QEH holds a very special place in my heart. My elder sister Cindy was born very premature at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital over 50 years ago—an era when outcomes for very premature babies could be fairly bleak. Cindy was not expected to survive and was given the last rites not once, but twice, as the teams at The QEH did all they could to help her. With their devotion, care and skill, Cindy pulled through. My family has ever since had a close connection to The Queen Elizabeth Hospital. It was always my parents' charity of choice. They gave back because of what The QEH gave to my family.

I warmly commend and thank The Queen Elizabeth Hospital's staff and leadership, past and present, for all they have done, all they do and all they will do in providing necessary and important healthcare services for South Australians. From a suburban maternity hospital to a surgical pioneer to a sizeable teaching hospital in a modern health system, I hope the next 70 years may hold even greater things.