House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-10-16 Daily Xml

Contents

Flinders Medical Centre

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (15:15): My question is to the minister representing the Minister for Health. Why was a directive sent out at Flinders Medical Centre to move potentially contagious norovirus patients into open wards, against infection control guidelines?

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (15:15): That is a very specific and also quite technical—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the call. I am listening to the answer.

The Hon. S.S. Marshall: They have run out of questions.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: It is a very specific and also quite technical question, and I don't think—

The SPEAKER: Yes, it is a technical question. I will listen carefully to the answer.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: I don't think, Mr Speaker, that—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —when the question involves 'against medical guidelines' I'm equipped to answer that. I will take that question—

Mr Picton: So the government is not responsible?

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna is called to order and warned.

Mr Pederick: You're over there, so you're irresponsible.

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond will not interject. The minister has the call.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: I am happy to take that question on notice. The shadow minister made it very clear that the hospital, if I've got the words right, actually made that decision. However, I will take that on notice and ask the health minister for the facts and figures to bring back to the shadow minister.

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond is warned. Member for Kaurna.