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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-05-15 Daily Xml
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FLINDERS MEDICAL CENTRE

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite) (14:27): Given the minister's answer to the last question, which he elaborated on the inquiry, can he tell us how much the inquiry will cost, and why won't he extend it to include all emergency departments in the Adelaide Health Service?

The SPEAKER: I think I will count that as a question. Minister.

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts) (14:28): I am happy to try to answer the question. I think it is obvious why it is not being extended to all of the hospitals: because this is the only hospital where this issue has arisen. The point I make is, if it had arisen in all of our hospitals, we would know it was more than just a hospital-specific problem. All of our hospitals from time to time get very busy. There is no doubt about that. There are sometimes more people wanting to get into the emergency department than there are spaces. No matter how you design a hospital system, that will always be the case. That has always been the case. That is just a fact of life.

All of the other hospitals seem to manage that without the problems that are occurring at Flinders. I am not trying to find fault, I am trying to find a solution. I am not sure what the issue is that is specific—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: That is a very smart comment by the deputy leader, but it shows no insight at all. The issue is: how do we resolve this matter? As to the cost of it, I am happy to get an answer for the honourable gentleman when I have further information as to that. Can I just say that the member for Waite said on 8 May:

Paramedics are fed up with ambulances being left cab ranked on the ramp at city hospitals with patients suffering unattended due to mismanagement at emergency departments.

So, he has blamed the emergency department for the problem. That is what he said: 'mismanagement of the emergency department'. That is what the member for Waite said. He blamed the emergency department; I am not doing that. He also said—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: —on the same day that there needs to be a complete review of management arrangements in emergency departments. That is what he said on the same day. I said we only needed to do it at one place. When I announced that we were going to do it at the one place, he said, in a FIVEaa interview on 10 May, 'We [that's the Liberal Party presumably] don't see why it's necessary to bring an extra—'

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: I presume you're asking about—

Mr WILLIAMS: The member is clearly debating the answer.

The SPEAKER: —a matter of debate. I am listening very carefully to the minister's answer. I was about to point it out to him. I think the minister has finished his answer now. The member for Ramsay.

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