Page 2793 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 September 1994
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Decompression Chamber
MS ELLIS: My question is directed to the Minister for Health. How much of the taxpayers' money will the Government be spending to provide a decompression chamber in the ACT?
MR CONNOLLY: Thank you, Ms Ellis, for the question. The Government has no intention of purchasing a decompression chamber in the ACT. With her customary flair and shoot-from-the-lip style, when there was a media report recently of somebody being flown to Sydney to receive treatment in a decompression chamber, Mrs Carnell said, "We need to have a decompression chamber in Canberra". Shock, horror; shock, horror! Despite the fact that she has alleged - - -
Mrs Carnell: I did not, you know. Wrong again!
MR ACTING SPEAKER: Order! We could do with one in this chamber at the moment. Would you please allow the Minister to finish.
MR CONNOLLY: Mr Acting Speaker, it is all right. I can proceed above the things that clatter from opposite. With her customary shoot-from-the-lip style, there was a media opportunity. Someone shoved a camera in front of her, and, yes, we have to have a decompression chamber.
The fact is that a decompression chamber is very rarely used. Mostly, it is used for divers who have the bends. That is why some years ago the Commonwealth Government provided assistance for hospitals in coastal Australia - one per State and not necessarily in a capital city - to purchase a decompression chamber. In Brisbane, for example, they do not have a decompression chamber. There is one in Townsville, located close to the area where most people do their scuba diving. There is not one here in the ACT. Occasionally it can be a useful treatment for things other than divers suffering the bends. It can be useful treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning or excessive smoke inhalation. That is what happened on this occasion.
The cost of a decompression chamber, Mr Acting Speaker, would run between $1m and $2m.
Ms Follett: Have several.
MR CONNOLLY: Not a problem - have several. Take it away from the tourism budget. That will perhaps take back from the tourism budget the $5m that we took away from the health budget in the first place. Not a problem; we will get one. The cost to run the decompression chamber would be in the order of $400,000 a year because you need a dedicated specialist operative to run it. In most Australian States that is a specialist anaesthetist who has gone on to specialist training. The result of putting a patient in a decompression chamber and not getting it right is not only that the patient can potentially suffer epileptic seizures but also that both the patient and the staff who are in there with the patient could have the bends inflicted on them through the procedures not being done properly. So, you need to have a specialist team highly trained and doing it regularly so that they keep up their expertise.
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