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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-03-21 Daily Xml
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Women's and Children's Health Network Cochlear Implant Program

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Is the minister aware of comments by Dr Sonja Latzel yesterday and can he offer a guarantee to the parliament that this error will never happen again? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mrs HURN: Speaking on ABC radio yesterday regarding the incorrect programming of cochlear implants at the Women's and Children's Hospital, Dr Sonja Latzel, who is the Director of Surgery at the Women's and Children's Hospital, was asked whether this would happen again and Dr Latzel replied unequivocally, 'It won't happen again.'

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:51): I certainly support Dr Sonja Latzel, who is a very respected ENT surgeon in South Australia. Even before I was the minister, she operated on my own son in fact. Many children in South Australia have received operations from Dr Latzel, and I have significant confidence in her as the Director of Surgery for the Women's and Children's Health Network in the work that she is doing. I think I speak on behalf of all the clinical team, all the doctors and allied health professionals who are committed to making sure this doesn't happen again.

I guess that's the other added benefit of the external review as well, to make sure that we find out how this was allowed to happen over so many years, what led to that and what were the safeguards not in place that caused that and not picked up, and to make sure that we improve those to make sure that this doesn't happen again.

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