❓ Mr. Abetz questions the Minister for Health about healthcare support in Zambia following a visit. The Minister details WA's involvement in improving healthcare in Tanzania and Zambia, including maternal health initiatives and donations of medical equipment.
AnsweredQoN 752Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MINISTER
FOR HEALTH — TANZANIA AND ZAMBIA VISIT
752. Mr P. ABETZ to the Minister for
Health:
I was delighted on 25 June to hear
the Minister for Tourism provide information about the work he has done during
his trip to Tanzania and Zambia. Can the minister advise the house what has
happened with supporting health care in Zambia following his visit?
FOR HEALTH — TANZANIA AND ZAMBIA VISIT
752. Mr P. ABETZ to the Minister for
Health:
I was delighted on 25 June to hear
the Minister for Tourism provide information about the work he has done during
his trip to Tanzania and Zambia. Can the minister advise the house what has
happened with supporting health care in Zambia following his visit?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
I point out that I did that as Minister for Health, not Tourism!
Before I start, can I acknowledge
the students —
Several members interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Guys, I am recognising the students.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you! There seems to have been a bit of confusion over
portfolios; we have covered that.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : I acknowledge the students, teachers and parents from Falcon
Primary School in the public gallery. Mr Speaker, you might notice that they
are not in the Speaker's gallery, which is very disappointing.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you for that.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : It is very disappointing after 20 years of having them in the
Speaker's gallery.
This was a very important trip.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : That is enough!
Dr K.D. HAMES : It
was a very important trip, which built on what we did about three or four years
ago with Hon Stephen Smith, as Minister for Foreign Affairs, when he requested
that Western Australia assist in providing badly needed health services in
Tanzania where the maternal mortality rate was in the many hundreds per 100 000
live births compared with Western Australia where it is seven per 100 000 live
births. We initiated a program through an organisation called Global Health
Alliance Western Australia, which is based in the Department of Health. We send
midwives and nursing students to Tanzania to gain experience and provide
training to the people in Tanzania to assist them to reduce that terrible
maternal mortality rate.
The Premier was in Zambia in 2013, where he met His
Excellency Sindiso Ngwenya, who is the head of the Common Market for Eastern
and Southern Africa. I am sure members will recall from the Premier's
report that arrangements were made with COMESA for a huge amount of cooperation
between mining and other services in African countries and Western Australia.
While he was there, the Premier visited Lusaka, which has Zambia's
major tertiary hospital. All those times we hear people in Western Australia
talking about Third World health conditions, they do not know what Third World
health conditions really are. We went to Zambia's leading tertiary
hospital. Western Australian Brendan Clark has raised a significant amount of
money to totally refurbish the malnutrition ward. The Premier went to that
hospital to visit that malnutrition ward. We went to the maternity ward. The
conditions are absolutely abysmal. Just to let members know, there are 80 deliveries
a day in that hospital and 16 beds. Most of those beds are mattresses on the
floor. While I was there, I would see four women and four babies lying together
on a mattress that is no bigger than the table in the middle of the chamber.
People are just processed through that. Women have to bring their own plastic
sheets and gloves. Nothing else is provided for them during their very short
stay in hospital. It is a huge amount of work to improve that. We have just
sent, through an organisation based in Perth called Rafiki, to Zambia a
container load of material from Shenton Park hospital. The container has a
large pile of beds, surgical tables, chairs and other important products. The
first lady of Zambia received it during this last week and was extremely
impressed with what we provided.
It is our intention that with the closing of Princess
Margaret Hospital for Children, we do the best we can to provide material that
is not required within the Western Australian health system to assist those in
Tanzania and Zambia to have a much better quality of health system than they
have now.
I point out that I did that as Minister for Health, not Tourism!
Before I start, can I acknowledge
the students —
Several members interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Guys, I am recognising the students.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you! There seems to have been a bit of confusion over
portfolios; we have covered that.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : I acknowledge the students, teachers and parents from Falcon
Primary School in the public gallery. Mr Speaker, you might notice that they
are not in the Speaker's gallery, which is very disappointing.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you for that.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : It is very disappointing after 20 years of having them in the
Speaker's gallery.
This was a very important trip.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : That is enough!
Dr K.D. HAMES : It
was a very important trip, which built on what we did about three or four years
ago with Hon Stephen Smith, as Minister for Foreign Affairs, when he requested
that Western Australia assist in providing badly needed health services in
Tanzania where the maternal mortality rate was in the many hundreds per 100 000
live births compared with Western Australia where it is seven per 100 000 live
births. We initiated a program through an organisation called Global Health
Alliance Western Australia, which is based in the Department of Health. We send
midwives and nursing students to Tanzania to gain experience and provide
training to the people in Tanzania to assist them to reduce that terrible
maternal mortality rate.
The Premier was in Zambia in 2013, where he met His
Excellency Sindiso Ngwenya, who is the head of the Common Market for Eastern
and Southern Africa. I am sure members will recall from the Premier's
report that arrangements were made with COMESA for a huge amount of cooperation
between mining and other services in African countries and Western Australia.
While he was there, the Premier visited Lusaka, which has Zambia's
major tertiary hospital. All those times we hear people in Western Australia
talking about Third World health conditions, they do not know what Third World
health conditions really are. We went to Zambia's leading tertiary
hospital. Western Australian Brendan Clark has raised a significant amount of
money to totally refurbish the malnutrition ward. The Premier went to that
hospital to visit that malnutrition ward. We went to the maternity ward. The
conditions are absolutely abysmal. Just to let members know, there are 80 deliveries
a day in that hospital and 16 beds. Most of those beds are mattresses on the
floor. While I was there, I would see four women and four babies lying together
on a mattress that is no bigger than the table in the middle of the chamber.
People are just processed through that. Women have to bring their own plastic
sheets and gloves. Nothing else is provided for them during their very short
stay in hospital. It is a huge amount of work to improve that. We have just
sent, through an organisation based in Perth called Rafiki, to Zambia a
container load of material from Shenton Park hospital. The container has a
large pile of beds, surgical tables, chairs and other important products. The
first lady of Zambia received it during this last week and was extremely
impressed with what we provided.
It is our intention that with the closing of Princess
Margaret Hospital for Children, we do the best we can to provide material that
is not required within the Western Australian health system to assist those in
Tanzania and Zambia to have a much better quality of health system than they
have now.
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