❓ Mr. Whitby asks the Minister for Health about the success of Perth Children's Hospital's first six months and whether it would have been possible without the McGowan government's actions. The Minister praises the government's actions and criticises the previous government's inaction.
AnsweredQoN 999Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PERTH CHILDREN'S
HOSPITAL
999. Mr R.R. WHITBY to the Minister for Health:
Before I ask my question, I would
like to acknowledge on behalf of the member for Joondalup the student
councillors and teachers from Mullaloo Heights Primary School in the public
gallery. On behalf of the member for Swan Hills, I would like to welcome the
staff and school students from year 6 at Arbor Grove Primary School.
I refer to Perth Children's
Hospital, which has been supporting sick kids, including my daughter Hope, for
the past six months.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on how the dedicated staff have ensured that the
hospital's first six months of operation have been a success?
(2) Can the
minister advise whether this would have been possible had the McGowan Labor
government not taken decisive action to take practical completion?
HOSPITAL
999. Mr R.R. WHITBY to the Minister for Health:
Before I ask my question, I would
like to acknowledge on behalf of the member for Joondalup the student
councillors and teachers from Mullaloo Heights Primary School in the public
gallery. On behalf of the member for Swan Hills, I would like to welcome the
staff and school students from year 6 at Arbor Grove Primary School.
I refer to Perth Children's
Hospital, which has been supporting sick kids, including my daughter Hope, for
the past six months.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on how the dedicated staff have ensured that the
hospital's first six months of operation have been a success?
(2) Can the
minister advise whether this would have been possible had the McGowan Labor
government not taken decisive action to take practical completion?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question
and wish him and his kids well.
(1)–(2) Perth
Children's Hospital has celebrated six months since opening. In that
time, it has provided world-class health care for the sick kids of Western Australia.
Lately, and they continue, we have had musings from the other side and
questions via the media about why we took practical completion so early. Why
were we so hasty? Why were we moved to take practical completion when we did?
That brings into sharp contrast the attitude of members opposite compared with
that of the McGowan government, which wants to get on and make sure that we fix
the problems and allow this hospital to treat sick kids in Western Australia.
The reality is that if it had been left up to the previous mob, we would still
be waiting. As they sat in stalemate with
the managing contractor, simply sitting on the problems and not endeavouring to
do anything about them, where would we be? We just have to look at the record
of this hospital over the past six months to get a really good idea about the
situation that we would have been in had we still been working under a Liberal–National
government. Since 11 June, there have been 13 008 inpatient admissions.
That is 13 000 patients being seen in the new hospital who would not have been
seen if it had been left to the previous mob. There have been 93 437 outpatient
appointments; that is over 90 000 appointments in state-of-the-art facilities
that would not have taken place had we still been working under the oppression
of members opposite. There have been 30 212 presentations to the emergency
department.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr R.H. COOK : That is over 30
000 presentations at the emergency department—urgent medical assistance
to the sick kids of Western Australia—that would not have taken place
had we been left to the previous government. There have been 6 286 surgical
procedures; that is over 6 000 surgical procedures that would not have taken
place in a new hospital if we had left it to this mob.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine, I call you to order for the third time.
Mr R.H. COOK : One of the most
pleasing aspects is to see the smiles on the faces of the doctors, nurses,
allied health staff and support workers at that hospital, who are thankful for
the McGowan Labor government actually giving them a decent hospital to work in
after all this time. If we had been left to the devices of the previous
government, we still would have been stuck in this stalemate—dithering,
stuffing about and failing to rise to the challenges of opening up a state-of-the-art
health facility. Thank goodness for the McGowan Labor government. We now have a
state-of-the-art hospital. It is one of the most beautiful buildings that we
would never want to go to, and I am proud to be part of a government that
finally opened it.
and wish him and his kids well.
(1)–(2) Perth
Children's Hospital has celebrated six months since opening. In that
time, it has provided world-class health care for the sick kids of Western Australia.
Lately, and they continue, we have had musings from the other side and
questions via the media about why we took practical completion so early. Why
were we so hasty? Why were we moved to take practical completion when we did?
That brings into sharp contrast the attitude of members opposite compared with
that of the McGowan government, which wants to get on and make sure that we fix
the problems and allow this hospital to treat sick kids in Western Australia.
The reality is that if it had been left up to the previous mob, we would still
be waiting. As they sat in stalemate with
the managing contractor, simply sitting on the problems and not endeavouring to
do anything about them, where would we be? We just have to look at the record
of this hospital over the past six months to get a really good idea about the
situation that we would have been in had we still been working under a Liberal–National
government. Since 11 June, there have been 13 008 inpatient admissions.
That is 13 000 patients being seen in the new hospital who would not have been
seen if it had been left to the previous mob. There have been 93 437 outpatient
appointments; that is over 90 000 appointments in state-of-the-art facilities
that would not have taken place had we still been working under the oppression
of members opposite. There have been 30 212 presentations to the emergency
department.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr R.H. COOK : That is over 30
000 presentations at the emergency department—urgent medical assistance
to the sick kids of Western Australia—that would not have taken place
had we been left to the previous government. There have been 6 286 surgical
procedures; that is over 6 000 surgical procedures that would not have taken
place in a new hospital if we had left it to this mob.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine, I call you to order for the third time.
Mr R.H. COOK : One of the most
pleasing aspects is to see the smiles on the faces of the doctors, nurses,
allied health staff and support workers at that hospital, who are thankful for
the McGowan Labor government actually giving them a decent hospital to work in
after all this time. If we had been left to the devices of the previous
government, we still would have been stuck in this stalemate—dithering,
stuffing about and failing to rise to the challenges of opening up a state-of-the-art
health facility. Thank goodness for the McGowan Labor government. We now have a
state-of-the-art hospital. It is one of the most beautiful buildings that we
would never want to go to, and I am proud to be part of a government that
finally opened it.
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