Page 1073 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 20 April 1994
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In terms of improvements, this morning I announced that we have approved some private obstetrics beds, which mean net additional beds. Both John James and Calvary have given the Government agreements that they will work in with the public hospital system, and with the professor of obstetrics, soon to be appointed. In terms of obstetrics facilities in Canberra, the maternity wing at Woden Valley Hospital - with its birthing centre, its physical infrastructure and staff, including midwives - would bear comparison with any facility anywhere in Australia.
Woden Valley is the primary emergency centre for existing health centres in the region. When John James sets up its private facilities, it will clearly work in. When matters get too complex and too difficult at John James, patients will go to Woden, because it will be the regional centre of excellence. The professor of obstetrics there, whose presence will raise the public care levels there a significant notch, will work in with his or her professional colleagues at the other centres, both Calvary and John James, whether they be salaried medical officers or VMOs. Again, we see a public system working with the private system and elevating standards of care.
The rhetoric of litanies of complaints is easy. The fact that you had only 100-odd calls over 16 days, despite all the free kicks you have been getting in the media and all the attention that has been focusing on this, would have to indicate that there is generally a pretty good level of satisfaction with what is a very good service in the ACT. When Professor Gatenby was interviewed on being introduced to Canberra, he was asked about casualty waiting times. He made some comments to the effect that if you were at his former hospital, one of the great hospitals in Australia, you could wait for days in casualty. The waiting times here in casualty would - - -
Mrs Carnell: That does not make it all right.
MR CONNOLLY: No, it does not; but it does indicate that politicians who seek to make these sorts of debating points should look at the system in other parts of Australia. Historically, we have been very well served in the ACT by a very fine public health system, and we continue to be so served. Sure, there are some complaints about community health services, which I thought was what we were talking about rather than hospitals, but Mrs Carnell's remarks were mostly directed to the hospital system. There has been a complaint about podiatrists and the lack of a podiatrist. This was from your public health hotline. The papers were signed off a few weeks ago, and a podiatrist has been appointed. We were told that - shock, horror! - Mr Berry must appoint a podiatrist. Mr Berry appointed a podiatrist.
Mrs Carnell: Not one.
MR CONNOLLY: Appoint more, spend more, spend less. Mrs Carnell, if you are to be credible in this area, you are going to have to give an explanation as to where we actually get this additional money that you want us to spend while at the same time reining in expenditure so as to get Health - this is presumably your goal, because you criticise us for failing to achieve it, even though we are moving in the right direction and have made considerably greater progress than you made in the period when you were in office - to standardised levels of expenditure.
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