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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-06-27 Daily Xml
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Kangaroo Island Paediatric Services

Ms PRATT (Frome) (14:28): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Has the minister taken any action to address paediatric services on Kangaroo Island? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms PRATT: On 22 June at a public forum, Kangaroo Island mother Claire reported to the minister that her child's ruptured appendix was misdiagnosed as she pleaded for paediatric and diagnostic services.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:29): Thank you very much, and thanks to the member for Frome.

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Mawson!

The Hon. G.G. Brock interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Frome!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: Thank you very much, sir, and I understand that the member for Frome saw vision from the news in relation to our visit to Kangaroo Island last week and we had country cabinet in Kangaroo Island. As part of that, we have a community forum where people are able to ask questions of any nature to the cabinet. One of those questions was raised—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The interjections are making it difficult for us to hear the minister, who has the call.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: A mother did raise some serious concerns in relation to the care of her child at the Kangaroo Island hospital. I then spent a significant period of time meeting with the mother and also with officials from both the Department for Health and Wellbeing and the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network. We committed to the mother that we would make sure those issues in terms of the care of her child were properly investigated and that we would follow up with her. That work is now underway.

I understand the mother didn't necessarily want that to be dealt with publicly, and journalists who tried to question her, she wasn't keen to talk to, so I am clearly going to make sure that, in relation to how we respond to those issues, we do so in an appropriate manner. That is what the mother would like in this scenario. But I can assure the house that those concerns are being dealt with extremely seriously, and we will make sure that we properly investigate those concerns because clearly our ambition is to make sure that people right across South Australia are able to access the appropriate medical care when and where they need it.

We have already taken substantial action in relation to Kangaroo Island services. Since we came to office, there are now additional doctors, additional staff, who are available on Kangaroo Island providing care for that community than what was there previously. We will obviously treat this particular case with utmost seriousness and consider the response in relation to the investigation as it proceeds.

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