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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-02-23 Daily Xml
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Modbury Hospital

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:45): Supplementary: should a member of the public living in Hope Valley exhibit symptoms consistent with a heart attack, should they present themselves to Modbury or should they present themselves to the Lyell McEwin Hospital?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:46): They should call an ambulance. I don't know how many times I can say this. It is a simple fact. If you think you are having a heart attack, do not drive yourself to hospital: call an ambulance.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Look, you can scream out as much as you want. You are a dolt and an embarrassment. The simple fact is—

The SPEAKER: The minister will—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Here they go.

The SPEAKER: The minister will be seated. The minister will withdraw his unparliamentary reference to the leader as a 'dolt'. He will withdraw and apologise.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I withdraw and apologise, but Mr Speaker—

The SPEAKER: Before the minister goes on, the leader will depart for half an hour under the sessional orders for repeatedly interjecting.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Mr Speaker, it—

The SPEAKER: Let's just wait until the leader departs.

The Leader of the Opposition having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Our advice is always that if you think you are having a heart attack, don't self-present: call an ambulance. Of course, there will be some people who, no matter how much advice we give them not to self-present, do nonetheless. If that does happen, Modbury Hospital will be able to look after them and will be able to make sure that they are kept safe and, if they need to be transferred, they will be transferred.

Some people presenting with chest pains do not necessarily need a high acuity hospital because they need to be kept for observation whilst determining whether they are having a heart attack or whether they are not. Of course, once the heart attack is confirmed then, yes, they need high acuity care, but for those people having chest pains that are not related to a heart attack and there is some other cause then, no, they will not need to be transferred and Modbury Hospital will be able to look after them. Not every chest pain patient will necessarily need to be transferred, but that is why it is so important to call an ambulance.

Ambulances have the equipment on board so they can determine, not always, but generally, whether a patient is having a heart attack or whether their chest pains are not necessarily that and those paramedics can always make that decision, but I cannot emphasise how important it is that if a South Australian does think they are having a heart attack, don't self-present: call an ambulance.

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