Page 4176 - Week 13 - Thursday, 25 November 1993
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Talking about that clinical school leads me to the issue of cardio-thoracic surgery. The Government is committed to the provision of cardio-thoracic surgery in our system and we will be looking again at that issue in 1994. The timing will allow the dean of the clinical school to be appointed and to be involved in the establishment of the service as it becomes acutely necessary and as resources become available. In the meantime the Government will continue to make funds available for public patients and their relatives to access cardio-thoracic surgery services in Sydney.
Another new service we can expect to see provided at Woden Valley Hospital this financial year is magnetic resonance imaging. Currently ACT Health has an arrangement with a private radiology practice for the provision of MRI scans to public patients at public expense. Commonwealth funds for the capital and recurrent costs of an MRI unit, which will be located at Woden Valley Hospital, have been made available, and I understand that the tender process is under way. It is anticipated that the MRI service will be available at Woden Valley Hospital in 1994. It is onwards, ever onwards. We are certainly making some great inroads.
Mrs Carnell: It is the last in Australia, is it not, Mr Berry?
MR BERRY: It is probably one of the smallest too. If you are not the biggest you do not get it first. That is usually the rule with these sorts of things.
Mr De Domenico: That is another good one - if you are not the biggest you do not get it first.
MR BERRY: Some of the big Sydney hospitals would expect to get it first, would they not?
Mrs Carnell: Tasmania got theirs ages ago in Launceston.
MR BERRY: We are not divided from New South Wales by a large body of water, either, as you may have noticed as you drive in and out of the place. (Extension of time granted) That service will provide MRI scanning facilities to in-patients and outpatients in place of the current restricted service.
I would like also to say a few words about financial management. There have been significant improvements not only to Health's financial management but also to the timing and procedures related to preparing annual financial statements. There is no question about that. Over the last few years Health has halved the time required to produce its audited financial statements from six to three months, and for 1992-93 reduced that period by a further three weeks. So it is improving all the time. As proof of the continued improvements to financial management, the Auditor-General gave an unqualified audit certificate to Health's financial accounts. I did not see a press release from Mrs Carnell on that one, congratulating us and saying, "What a good job Mr Berry is doing".
Mr Kaine: You have an affidavit to this effect, have you?
MR BERRY: ACT Health also has prepared a financial management training course which has been presented to more than 150 senior staff. This is something you should have thought of, Mr Kaine, when you were the Treasurer - to give some training to the people that were supposed to be managing this. You did not
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