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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-11-27 Daily Xml
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Health System

Mr TELFER (Flinders) (15:31): I want to speak today on the state of the health system within my electorate and my concerns for its future. This month's AGM of the Lower Eyre Health Advisory Council saw my community's concerns writ large for all to see, with a large swathe of the HAC resigning out of frustration with the health system, including the presiding member. These are members who have been on the HAC for over a decade—loyal, hardworking community members who have had enough of the bureaucratic health system.

With her permission, I want to quote from a letter which was written to the health minister by Liz Mickan, who has been on the HAC for a very long time. It states:

Dear Mr Chris Picton:

It is with heavy heart I submit my resignation as a Council member of the Lower Eyre Health Advisory Council (LEHAC). As the only inaugural member of the LEHAC still holding a position from inception, 16 years, I have contemplated this decision for 12 months and finally need to act. As a member you cannot voice your opinion publicly.

The Health System is broken, and I have no role I can play as a LEHAC member to repair it.

In regional South Australia, our HACs are a vital part of the health system not just as an important conduit between the community and our health system but also to ensure that there is a local understanding of the impacts of decisions that are made by bureaucracy. Especially in the regional parts of our state, our HACs also work hand in hand with local hospital auxiliaries to raise funds for investment into otherwise neglected parts of our regional health network.

The amount of investment that has been fundraised and delivered through those volunteers has truly been incredible. The facilities and structures that have been delivered for regional communities through the time and effort of these volunteers is remarkable. If we have such people like this who have been volunteering for so long sounding the alarm about the state of the health system in regional South Australia, we should be listening. Another longstanding member of LEHAC wrote to me saying:

I am putting forward my resignation from the LEHAC…

I have enjoyed my time on LEHAC and have seen great outcomes. But the past 12 to 18 months have been frustrating and I am feeling stressed about the future of our Health system and the way it is going. I am a volunteer, travelling at times over 70km to go to a meeting that is I feel bashing its head against a brick wall.

Our regional communities are being let down by the health system and I am imploring the Minister for Health to please listen to these community members. Do not just listen to what your bureaucrats tell you, listen and please act. These are concerns that have been voiced by people who have had an insight and involvement in our health system in regional South Australia for a long time and you need to listen.

There are concerns as well about the decisions being made around the delivery of health care in Ceduna. This week it was announced that a locum doctor position has been cut from Ceduna. There are significant concerns in the community about the impact this will have in such an isolated area. What will the wait times balloon out to? What will the direct and indirect health outcomes be? Who is accountable for such decisions? These are health patients who cannot just pop around the corner to the next medical centre, so a lesser level of service will in its own nature result in a lesser level of care. That should be an unacceptable scenario for the government for such an important area, such an important community, like Ceduna. The impact that this can have on health outcomes should be considered and fully understood.

What about the added pressure and workload that is going to fall on the shoulders of the other GPs in town? The community is seriously worried, and I am calling on the minister to please listen to these concerns: do not allow our communities to be further disadvantaged. We are already disadvantaged enough with restrictions on accessibility, treatment options, and time and distance that we have to deal with. The people of Ceduna do not deserve to be disadvantaged anymore.

Last sitting week we also heard about the uncertainty around the delivery of mental health treatments on Eyre Peninsula, with clients being referred to services, having their application for allied health rebates rejected. It is seriously disadvantaging people residing in my community where access to health services is already incredibly difficult. We have had promises from the federal and state governments but unfortunately that solution is still not at all clear for my community. It is hanging in the breeze; there is still certainty.

There is also the uncertainty that has been created with the malaise around the payment process for the PATS system—for my people in Flinders especially and across regional South Australia—where people are having to wait for weeks, sometimes even months, for these important payments which they have already had to fork out their own money for. These delays are unacceptable and we need better from our government.

Decisions around future medical care have been delayed because of these payment delays. Minister, please listen, please learn, please act and please be better.

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