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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-09-27 Daily Xml
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HOSPITAL BEDS

Mr SIBBONS (Mitchell) (15:31): My question is to the Minister for Health. Can the minister update the house on the number of beds across the state's hospital system?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (15:31): I thank the member for Mitchell who I know has recently occupied one of our beds and understands the great service—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: —that we provide the public of South Australia. I am pleased to inform the house that there were 2,866 overnight hospital beds on average across the metropolitan hospital system in 2010-11. I say 'on average' because we flex up and flex down beds depending on demand. This is 57 more beds than the previous year and more than 260 more beds than when we were elected to office, in other words, when they were the government of this state—260 additional beds from when they were in office. According to the latest available national statistics, this state had the highest number of public hospital beds per capita in the country—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: —sitting at three beds per 1,000 of our population. That is 15.4 per cent above the national average. They scream and interject—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I warn the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: —but these are the facts. We have also employed more staff across our health system. As of June this year, there were 3,398 doctors working in our public health system. That is 150 more doctors than the previous year—a 4.7 per cent increase—and 1,217 more doctors than there were working in our public health system in 2002—a 56 per cent increase under our government. That is 56 per cent more doctors working for public health than there were under the Liberal Party.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: There were 15,545 nurses and midwives, 247 more than the previous year, and 4,569 more nurses working in our public hospitals in 2011 compared to 2002. That is a 42 per cent increase under our government—42 per cent more nurses working in public hospitals under Labor. There is more good news. There were 3,070 allied health and scientific professionals. That's 111 more—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Norwood, you are warned for the second time.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Thank you, Madam Speaker, for your protection. There were 3,070 allied health and scientific professionals working in our public hospitals. That is 111 more than the previous year and 1,146 more than in 2002. That is a 60 per cent increase under Labor—60 per cent more allied health workers and scientific professionals under this government. So we now have more beds, more doctors, more nurses, more allied health staff and we are doing more procedures on more patients and there are less delays.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: They think if you tell a lie more than once, it becomes the truth. They are wrong. We have more procedures on more patients done more quickly than ever before.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: I dare them to ask the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: I am happy to provide the evidence. Madam Speaker—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will sit down until we have some quiet from my left. Now, behave yourselves.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Sorry, Madam Speaker, I do get a bit passionate about these matters. We have 250 more beds to come online over the next five years, on top of the 260 that we have already opened up. That is through capital works projects at the Lyell McEwin, Modbury, Women's and Children's and, of course, the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.

I was very pleased to join the Premier on Saturday for the initial groundwork to begin construction. That is the first time that we have shifted soil on that site, and it was a great moment. The Royal Adelaide Hospital, which will be open in 2016, will increase capacity by 30 per cent to provide even more patients with more care at a very high level in our system.

We have invested very heavily in our health system. We need to do that as a government, and I thank Treasury for its support all the way through in this important area. We have to do it. That is not to say that our system is not under pressure from time to time. I always acknowledge that. Whenever we have an issue with this pressure we deal with it. That is what good government does. I have yet to hear though from the opposition one single policy initiative that they would put in if they were in government. They are bereft of ideas, they are bereft of talent and they have no future.

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