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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-07-02 Daily Xml
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Country Health Services

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (15:41): I rise today to talk about health services in country South Australia. Much of the focus to date on the health portfolio has been on the metropolitan area and the Transforming Health agenda. Transforming Health is important for those of us who live in regional South Australia. On any day, roughly 15 per cent of patients using health services in Adelaide are from country South Australia. Transforming Health will help deliver timely, quality care, and that will help all South Australians, irrespective of where they live.

It is worth mentioning that funding for healthcare services in country South Australia is over $789 million per year. It is also worth mentioning the $2.5 million annual funding boost to the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme, which has been a very successful scheme indeed and has helped many eligible country patients to access services in the metropolitan area.

Many of our larger country hospitals have, in recent years, undergone major improvements. We have seen the redevelopment of the Riverland General Hospital at Berri. The Port Lincoln general hospital has benefited from a nearly $40 million investment. There are now 20 single ensuite bedrooms and two state-of-the-art operating theatres, in addition to a range of other improvements.

Mount Gambier has also seen a major $26.7 million investment. Whyalla underwent a very impressive redevelopment, which saw the previous federal government, in partnership with the state, invest $70 million for a much-needed upgrade. It is worth bearing in mind that the then federal Liberal opposition opposed regional hospital redevelopments in our state.

There has been a big investment in dedicated chemotherapy units throughout regional South Australia. Units have opened in Wallaroo, Clare, Whyalla, Murray Bridge, Port Augusta, Naracoorte, Berri, Ceduna, the South Coast, Port Lincoln, Mount Gambier and Port Pirie. There has been an improvement in the delivery of psychiatric services with a number of hospitals providing services that were previously only available in Adelaide. Communities like Whyalla now have a resident psychiatrist for the first time. I could go on to list a whole range of services that have been either introduced or improved, the latest of which is the opening of country South Australia's first MRI machine at Whyalla.

The overall improvements of Country Health services reduce the need for those of us who live in regional South Australia to visit Adelaide for medical assistance. Much of the redevelopment focus has been on our larger regional hospitals. Our smaller hospitals in country towns also provide essential medical services and are often the first point of contact for residents in distress. When the Transforming Health agenda was announced, I asked minister Snelling whether there were any implications for smaller country hospitals. The reason for asking is that people in smaller communities get understandably nervous at the prospect of closure or the downgrading of services. I was given an assurance that our smaller country hospitals would not be touched.

With improvements in communication technology, there has been an expansion in treatment options for individuals in country South Australia. The recently launched pilot Virtual Clinical Care service will assist country residents to better manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, respiratory complaints and heart problems through the use of telemonitoring technology. The monitoring equipment is used by the participants to measure a range of variables which are then fed into a personal telehealth device on a daily basis which, in turn, is digitally sent to a team of health experts.

The approach leads to improved management of chronic conditions and earlier intervention when needed. Fifty people from 13 country communities are participating in the trial, with the results to be reviewed in six months. If the results are positive, the service is likely to be expanded, which will lead to better health for country residents and a likely reduction in health costs by reducing time spent in hospital.

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