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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-06-03 Daily Xml
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SOUTH COAST HEALTH FACILITIES

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (15:25): There are a few issues I would like to put on the record in relation to health on the South Coast and, more particularly, the long-term development of appropriate health facilities. That could well be a combination of a new greenfield site hospital with associated clinic facilities and could incorporate a hydrotherapy pool and other things.

Members who are familiar with the South Coast are aware that there is a South Coast District Hospital, which has been there for a great number of years. It does a fantastic job and serves all the South Coast area. Currently, it is predicted that the population on the South Coast will be 100,000 by the year 2050. I put forward the argument that we should be putting in place urgent planning for the future to provide suitable facilities.

Currently, about 40 doctors operate in various clinics between Goolwa and Victor Harbor. The largest clinic is the Victor Harbor Medical Clinic in Ocean Street, Victor Harbor, which also serves Port Elliot on a visiting basis. Quite clearly, the Victor Harbor Medical Clinic people are frustrated. They bought the old police station and police house and they have found, to their great concern, that the heritage issues around those buildings do not allow them to develop the property as they would wish. They are questioning whether members of the community want old buildings of dubious heritage value or whether they would prefer a good facility near the chemist shops and associated health facilities that are there.

Such is their concern that they have raised the issue with me on a number of occasions. I have dealt with it by way of correspondence with people in government with respect to where we could go. My view is that, if we were to redevelop a greenfield site, there would quite possibly be enough land adjacent to the police station and the new TAFE college on the Armstrong Road site. That is a possibility. It could include clinic facilities for doctors and a hydrotherapy pool for rehabilitation, which are also badly needed on the South Coast.

This is an important issue and, in my view, it is one that requires substantial public debate. The people involved in the medical clinic at Victor Harbor would be prepared to redevelop. They want to get on with it and they want to keep employing young doctors and bringing them into the area. Because of the older population on the South Coast there is an ongoing need (and that will be the case for a long time) for substantial medical facilities. Due to the fact that we have no public transport, it is difficult for people to travel to the city for their medical requirements and to see a specialist. We have a host of visiting specialists.

My view is that, long term, we should be looking at building a new hospital. Offers have been made. I think the jury is out on whether it should be a greenfield site or whether the current site is redeveloped, but the people of the South Coast deserve to have a good look into the future to find out exactly where we are going on this matter.

There is a clear need to expand the service that the doctors there currently provide. As I said, they are prepared to put money into redeveloping their current facilities—they would be quite happy to do so, as a matter of fact. A lot of associated jobs go with these doctors. However, there is this difficulty with heritage buildings. I understand that they have talked to officers at the Victor Harbor city council, and they really want to act as good corporate citizens in the best long-term interests.

This is a critical issue. Unfortunately, this current government has done away with boards, so we have no board with control over the hospital anymore. We have a HAC committee that does its best, but it has no power whatsoever. The discussions were all held in Hindmarsh Square in the glass mahal up there. Country health has lost its way. I do not care what the minister says, it has lost its way, and my constituents deserve a better deal than what they may possibly get over the next 15 or 20 years.

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