House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-04-03 Daily Xml

Contents

Women's and Children's Hospital

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (14:16): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Was and, if so, when was the minister first informed that any surgeries had taken place at the Women's and Children's Hospital with equipment that was not stored appropriately? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mrs HURN: It has been reported in The Advertiser that dozens of children and female patients were put at risk during surgery after medically unsafe surgical equipment was stored in a humid room for more than a day.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:17): I will go and check, but to the best of my knowledge, I was made aware in terms of the cancellations but not in terms of the issue that had been raised of the previous operations that had taken place until there was a media inquiry about that subject. I think, as has been described by the Women's and Children's Hospital CEO, from the head of SA Health, there was a very minimal risk in terms of those operations that had taken place. The hospital acted prudently to make sure that all the patients were informed of those matters. There has been no harm that has occurred in relation to any of those surgeries that took place. The hospital made sure that they complied with their responsibilities in terms of notifying patients and made sure that they took remedial action to make sure that there was no risk to patients in that matter.