❓ Question regarding access to tubal ligation services at the new Midland Health Campus after privatisation, specifically for postpartum women. The Minister's answer focuses on the cost savings of the contract and alternative service provisions.
AnsweredQoN 413Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MIDLAND
HEALTH CAMPUS — RESTRICTED SERVICES CLINIC — TUBAL LIGATION
413. Mr
R.H. COOK to the Minister for Health:
On behalf of the member for Bassendean, I welcome Mr Len
Christie from Beechboro Primary School and Mr Ray Boyd from West Beechboro
Primary School.
I refer to the minister's decision to privatise the
new Midland hospital and the subsequent need for the development of a clinic to
perform restricted services that the awarded operator refuses to do. Will a
woman who has had a baby and wants to receive, or should receive, family
planning advice or wants to have a procedure to implant long-acting reversible
contraceptive mechanisms need to be discharged and walk the distance to the
clinic, whereas currently that woman would be treated as an inpatient in Swan
District Hospital?
HEALTH CAMPUS — RESTRICTED SERVICES CLINIC — TUBAL LIGATION
413. Mr
R.H. COOK to the Minister for Health:
On behalf of the member for Bassendean, I welcome Mr Len
Christie from Beechboro Primary School and Mr Ray Boyd from West Beechboro
Primary School.
I refer to the minister's decision to privatise the
new Midland hospital and the subsequent need for the development of a clinic to
perform restricted services that the awarded operator refuses to do. Will a
woman who has had a baby and wants to receive, or should receive, family
planning advice or wants to have a procedure to implant long-acting reversible
contraceptive mechanisms need to be discharged and walk the distance to the
clinic, whereas currently that woman would be treated as an inpatient in Swan
District Hospital?
AnswerView source ↗
When we decided to contract out the provision of services at
the hospital in Midland, we did it while being very conscious of the fact that
our experience with Joondalup Health Campus had shown an enormous benefit to
the people of the Joondalup region in the quality of service that they were
provided compared with the cost of providing that service. We went out to
tender looking for companies that were prepared to provide that same service.
We had three companies up front, but it became two—Ramsay Health Care
and St John of God Health Care. It was very important that both those companies
be given the opportunity, on a competitive basis, to put forward the best deal
that we could get for the taxpayers of this state.
Mr M. McGowan :
That's not the question.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Yes, but I am leading to that part of the answer. St John of God Health Care
put forward that, ethically, it does not provide a limited number of
procedures. We looked at how that would affect the whole contract and balanced
it against two competing companies vying to get the best possible price. We
decided that, as those procedures represent in the order of 200 a year, and
about 65 per cent of those are vasectomies, there were alternatives and that it
should not stop us from getting the best deal for the public. We went out to do
that; indeed, the proposal by St John of God was of significant benefit and was
lower than the other quote, and will save this state $1.5 billion over the term
of the contract.
Mr
R.H. Cook interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Then we had to deal with the issue of those procedures. There
were only 200 a year at the time and the number was predicted to grow to 250,
and nearly all of them were vasectomies. How else could we do them?
Mr
R.H. Cook interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The reality is that they could be done at lots of other
hospitals, and we looked at Kalamunda Hospital as an alternative. As we went
forward, that is when the Premier became aware. It was a public issue. The
Labor Party raised it and campaigned on it in the lead-up to the election and
tried to give the impression that patients would have to pay to go to hospital,
so we said that we would provide that service.
Mr
D.J. Kelly : That's a lie.
Mr
R.H. Cook : That's a lie.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : That is absolutely true.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : We decided that we would try to provide those services on site.
Indeed, a location has been decided and we have gone out.
Mr
R.H. Cook interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana!
Point of Order
Mr
R.H. COOK : Mr Speaker, my question was about a specific service, not about
a long description of the contract or about vasectomies. It was about family
planning advice for a mother who had recently had a baby as an inpatient. I ask
you to draw the minister back to that point.
The
SPEAKER : Minister for Health, can you please answer that particular part of
the question.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Yes, Mr Speaker. The member is exactly right, but he took a long time to do it
and I got to say all those other things in advance, so thanks for being so
slow!
In response to the question about the specific patient, it
will depend on the individual case. It is very rare that someone who has
undergone a delivery at a hospital subsequently requires a ligation to be done
at the same time. Indeed, of the 200 patients who were treated at Swan District
Hospital in the previous year, I think only one or two of the whole gamut of
patients fell into that category.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Dr K.D. HAMES : St
John of God regards that procedure—that is, the tubal ligation
component—as non-ethical. I have given the list. The member knows the
answer to this question because he asked me in August 2012. I have a copy of my
answer to him and I went through all these things in August 2012. Those
procedures cannot be provided at the hospital. It is yet to be determined what
alternatives will be provided. When that is decided, we will make that public.
A limited number of procedures—as I have said, there are 200 out of
something like 29 000 patients—will need to be done elsewhere.
the hospital in Midland, we did it while being very conscious of the fact that
our experience with Joondalup Health Campus had shown an enormous benefit to
the people of the Joondalup region in the quality of service that they were
provided compared with the cost of providing that service. We went out to
tender looking for companies that were prepared to provide that same service.
We had three companies up front, but it became two—Ramsay Health Care
and St John of God Health Care. It was very important that both those companies
be given the opportunity, on a competitive basis, to put forward the best deal
that we could get for the taxpayers of this state.
Mr M. McGowan :
That's not the question.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Yes, but I am leading to that part of the answer. St John of God Health Care
put forward that, ethically, it does not provide a limited number of
procedures. We looked at how that would affect the whole contract and balanced
it against two competing companies vying to get the best possible price. We
decided that, as those procedures represent in the order of 200 a year, and
about 65 per cent of those are vasectomies, there were alternatives and that it
should not stop us from getting the best deal for the public. We went out to do
that; indeed, the proposal by St John of God was of significant benefit and was
lower than the other quote, and will save this state $1.5 billion over the term
of the contract.
Mr
R.H. Cook interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Then we had to deal with the issue of those procedures. There
were only 200 a year at the time and the number was predicted to grow to 250,
and nearly all of them were vasectomies. How else could we do them?
Mr
R.H. Cook interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The reality is that they could be done at lots of other
hospitals, and we looked at Kalamunda Hospital as an alternative. As we went
forward, that is when the Premier became aware. It was a public issue. The
Labor Party raised it and campaigned on it in the lead-up to the election and
tried to give the impression that patients would have to pay to go to hospital,
so we said that we would provide that service.
Mr
D.J. Kelly : That's a lie.
Mr
R.H. Cook : That's a lie.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : That is absolutely true.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : We decided that we would try to provide those services on site.
Indeed, a location has been decided and we have gone out.
Mr
R.H. Cook interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana!
Point of Order
Mr
R.H. COOK : Mr Speaker, my question was about a specific service, not about
a long description of the contract or about vasectomies. It was about family
planning advice for a mother who had recently had a baby as an inpatient. I ask
you to draw the minister back to that point.
The
SPEAKER : Minister for Health, can you please answer that particular part of
the question.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Yes, Mr Speaker. The member is exactly right, but he took a long time to do it
and I got to say all those other things in advance, so thanks for being so
slow!
In response to the question about the specific patient, it
will depend on the individual case. It is very rare that someone who has
undergone a delivery at a hospital subsequently requires a ligation to be done
at the same time. Indeed, of the 200 patients who were treated at Swan District
Hospital in the previous year, I think only one or two of the whole gamut of
patients fell into that category.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Dr K.D. HAMES : St
John of God regards that procedure—that is, the tubal ligation
component—as non-ethical. I have given the list. The member knows the
answer to this question because he asked me in August 2012. I have a copy of my
answer to him and I went through all these things in August 2012. Those
procedures cannot be provided at the hospital. It is yet to be determined what
alternatives will be provided. When that is decided, we will make that public.
A limited number of procedures—as I have said, there are 200 out of
something like 29 000 patients—will need to be done elsewhere.
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