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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-12-02 Daily Xml
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COVID-19 Testing Clinics

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (14:27): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding health.

Leave granted.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Last week the Premier said, and I quote:

What we've done is very significantly expand the available time for people to go and get that PCR test…We've very significantly flexed up the workforce for SA Pathology and the available operating hours.

Only the Victoria Park and Ridgehaven testing sites operate 24 hours and last night this resulted in waits of almost three hours for people to get tested at Victoria Park. My questions to the minister are:

1. Why are there only two 24-hour testing sites, when the Premier has promised that he was significantly increasing the operating hours?

2. Can the minister guarantee that he will put in place the additional surge capacity so that this is the last time we see people waiting hours at a testing site?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:28): The honourable member is specifically referring to two sites that operate on a 24-hour basis. The Premier was not limiting his comments to those two sites. There has been an increase in operating hours at a range of clinics, including clinics that don't open for 24 hours, and we will continue to do that in response to surge.

Certainly, I have heard anecdotally that there were waits of up to three hours at Victoria Park. I haven't received formal advice but certainly SA Pathology has staff available to be deployed to try to meet need. I think it is important to appreciate, though, that need often comes on quickly. Victoria Park, for example, is close to the Norwood cluster and it is understandable that in the context of yesterday's news there was an increase in presentations at that site.

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