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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-08-21 Daily Xml
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Public Hospitals, Multicultural patients

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:14): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Attorney-General, representing the Minister for Health, about multicultural patients in public hospitals.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: The 2024 SA Health Measuring Consumer Experience report revealed a concerning gap in culturally responsive care. Over 71 per cent of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) respondents reported not being asked about their religious or cultural beliefs that may impact their treatment. Of those who were asked, only 4.4 per cent were asked prior to admission, missing a critical opportunity to plan and deliver culturally sensitive care from the outset.

This lack of engagement has real consequences. When cultural and religious needs are overlooked, patients may experience distress, miscommunication, or not get culturally responsive care. It also undermines trust in the public health system and can lead to poorer health outcomes, particularly for vulnerable communities. My questions to the minister are:

1. Given that over 71 per cent of CALD patients reported not being asked about cultural and religious beliefs, what is the government's understanding of why this information is so rarely collected?

2. What measures will the government implement to ensure CALD patients are proactively engaged about their needs upon admission to public hospitals?

3. Does the minister acknowledge that this gap reflects a systemic issue in how our public hospitals approach equitable care, and, if so, what steps will be undertaken to address this problem?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (15:16): I thank the honourable member for her question. I will pass that on to the minister in another place and bring back a reply.

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