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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-03-24 Daily Xml
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Mallala Community Hospital

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (15:15): This afternoon, I wish to talk about the Mallala community private hospital and aged-care service. Members would be aware that there are five community-based private hospitals in regional South Australia—Moonta, Wallaroo, Hamley Bridge, Mallala and Keith—and they have all had a level of media interest in the last five years or so with some of the financial challenges they have been facing.

It is sad, though, that three weeks ago the members of the board met with residents, family and staff members of the Mallala facility and confirmed that, due to financial pressures, it was necessary for them to close. This is an exceptionally sad occurrence, and I spoke to the chair, Kerry Heym, within a few hours of that meeting. A week after that, there was a public meeting at Mallala when the hall was full, with probably about 180 people attending, to further go through the dilemma faced by the Mallala community, to explain some information to people and to inform the community of what future actions will occur over the next few weeks.

Last week, there was meeting of the Mallala council to which the community was invited, and a decision had to be made about revocation of a land management agreement in place, which restricts the use of the land that the hospital and aged-care facility is on, to allow some flexibility so that it might have a future beyond health and aged care and ensure that something is taking place on it. To me, it is the devastation attached to this. Approximately 35 residents live there, and there are probably 15 beds provided for acute services as part of what is commonly termed the 'Rose Pym' area by the local community, but it has been losing $30,000 per month.

The aged-care services have not reached that level of loss, but there has been a loss. Even though in recent years they have made applications for additional bed licences, they have been unsuccessful in the scope they need to have an economic future. So, with the 35 beds—and I have been told for the last decade or so that between 70 and 100 beds are needed to have economic viability attached to an aged-care service—sadly, the impact now is that probably very early in April no further health and aged-services will be available in Mallala.

At the public meeting held two weeks ago, where I asked some questions, I could see the gutted expressions on people's faces. I spoke to one very nice gentleman after the meeting, Mr Ron Tucker, who was a member of the board for 28 years in the past. He and his wife, Maureen, are probably not that far away from moving in there themselves in the next 10 years or so, and they had a questioning look on their faces: what do they do now?

That is an issue that the Mallala community has to try to face—and society is also faced with—the challenge of how it ensures that our older residents, who have worked so hard over decades, can expect to live their final days in a community they know and love, with family and friends close by. However, through financial pressures, and no matter what level of effort is made by board members and community fundraising, there is no future attached to it and the hospital is closing. Those people now have to go and live in alternative places where they are not familiar with the surroundings and they are not close to family and friends, and I think that is exceptionally sad.

Mallala is now going through that transitional stage and the realisation of the decision having been made through necessity—unless there was somebody who had something like 5,000 acres available who was prepared to sell it all and give it as a benevolent fund to the Mallala hospital and aged-care service, I do not think it has a future—and how to manage their community in the future.

I do not intend to criticise board members. The point was made at the community meeting, by one board member, that while it was fantastic that 180 people were there, in recent years, when the hospital and aged care services lost, between each year, $500,000, $600,000 and $300,000, it had less than 10 people attend the AGMs. So, all of us have to accept responsibility. For myself, when the Moonta Hospital decided to close its hospital bed section last year (the aged care service of about 73 people is still very strong and vibrant), I should have rung Mallala and found out what their situation was.

I had spoken to them, probably a year ago, and had some good input then. So, that was poor of me and, as the local member, I have let that community down. I acknowledge that and it is something that I will live with forever, but now we are faced with the burden of trying to deal with the future. I have spoken to the Minister for Regional Development in a positive way, because I know he is going to visit the Mallala council soon to talk to them about economic opportunities for the Mallala community. With 52 jobs lost, and that is what the number will be, and probably $2 million from the local economy per year lost, it is the biggest employer in the region and it will have a significant impact and the community needs to be supported as much as we can.

Time expired.

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