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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-06-18 Daily Xml
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COUNTRY HEALTH CARE PLAN

The Hon. G.M. GUNN (Stuart) (15:07): I direct my question to the Minister for Health. I ask the minister which of the four general hospitals in the Country Health Care Plan will service the mining industries and isolated communities such as Andamooka and Leigh Creek—

Mr Koutsantonis: That's in South Australia, Marty.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G.M. GUNN: —now that Andamooka and Leigh Creek will be reduced to fly-in/fly-out services. I point out to the minister—he does not need to look at his map—that Leigh Creek is 150 kilometres north of Hawker.

The Hon. K.O. Foley interjecting:

The Hon. G.M. GUNN: Can I say to the Deputy Premier, I can fly into both of those areas without a map. I bet he can't.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G.M. GUNN: I know the Minister for Health—

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Stuart will take his seat. The Minister for Health.

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (15:08): I have to take issue with the member for Stuart. I am sure the Deputy Premier could fly, but I doubt if he could land, though, without help. In relation to the question about mining, Roxby Downs of course is going to be subject to huge growth, as we know, and there is a lot of planning around that particular community—we comment in this report about that—but our intention would be, over time, to expand the services in Roxby Downs.

Leigh Creek, for example, has 11 beds, and I am told that on average it has a 12 per cent occupancy rate, that is, 1.3 people on average in that hospital. Over half the hospitals in our state, of course, have fewer than six patients on average in attendance on any given night and six hospitals have fewer than one, so we are providing a lot of resources to some communities which are not actually using them.

Mr Williams interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: As I said to the member for MacKillop any number of times, you can put any questions you want to me and I will attempt to answer them. I am currently answering the member for Stuart's question. Under our plan, of course, Whyalla, Port Augusta, Port Pirie and Roxby Downs hospitals will be strengthened, so there will be major improvements to the services for people in that part of country South Australia.

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