❓ Mr. Day questions the Minister for Health about alleged downgrades to Kalamunda District Community Hospital, while the Minister denies the claims and outlines planned upgrades and service changes.
AnsweredQoN 365Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Before I ask my question, I am sure that residents of the Kalamunda and hills district, some of whom are here today, will be keen to acquaint Dr Fong with their views about the role that the Kalamunda District Community Hospital should play as part of the metropolitan health system. I refer the minister to the Australian Labor Party pre-election commitment to spend $5.5 million in upgrading Kalamunda District Community Hospital. (1) Will the minister first confirm that the Government is downgrading the hospital by removing obstetric and multi-day surgery services and cutting bed numbers by more than half? (2) Will the minister also confirm that, at the end of its four years in office, the Gallop Government will have spent only a quarter of the funding it promised for the capital upgrade of the hospital? (3) Is the minister aware that his decision to downgrade the hospital will force pregnant mothers and people needing serious surgery to attend facilities far outside their community? Mr J.A. McGINTY
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(3) I am delighted to be the bearer of good news for the member. The answer to his first question is a very clear no. There is a lot of misinformation in the balance of his question. Perhaps I will set out a few facts. The Government has received two reports in recent times. The Reid report lays out the blueprint for the future of our health system that this Government intends to implement. It will be for the benefit of the entire community that we do exactly that. Secondly, we had a report on obstetrics by Dr Harry Cohen, a recognised expert in the area, who made certain recommendations about the safe delivery of obstetrics services to women and children. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
I refer the minister to the Australian Labor Party pre-election commitment to spend $5.5 million in upgrading Kalamunda District Community Hospital. (1) Will the minister first confirm that the Government is downgrading the hospital by removing obstetric and multi-day surgery services and cutting bed numbers by more than half? (2) Will the minister also confirm that, at the end of its four years in office, the Gallop Government will have spent only a quarter of the funding it promised for the capital upgrade of the hospital? (3) Is the minister aware that his decision to downgrade the hospital will force pregnant mothers and people needing serious surgery to attend facilities far outside their community? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I am delighted to be the bearer of good news for the member. The answer to his first question is a very clear no. There is a lot of misinformation in the balance of his question. Perhaps I will set out a few facts. The Government has received two reports in recent times. The Reid report lays out the blueprint for the future of our health system that this Government intends to implement. It will be for the benefit of the entire community that we do exactly that. Secondly, we had a report on obstetrics by Dr Harry Cohen, a recognised expert in the area, who made certain recommendations about the safe delivery of obstetrics services to women and children. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
(1) Will the minister first confirm that the Government is downgrading the hospital by removing obstetric and multi-day surgery services and cutting bed numbers by more than half? (2) Will the minister also confirm that, at the end of its four years in office, the Gallop Government will have spent only a quarter of the funding it promised for the capital upgrade of the hospital? (3) Is the minister aware that his decision to downgrade the hospital will force pregnant mothers and people needing serious surgery to attend facilities far outside their community? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I am delighted to be the bearer of good news for the member. The answer to his first question is a very clear no. There is a lot of misinformation in the balance of his question. Perhaps I will set out a few facts. The Government has received two reports in recent times. The Reid report lays out the blueprint for the future of our health system that this Government intends to implement. It will be for the benefit of the entire community that we do exactly that. Secondly, we had a report on obstetrics by Dr Harry Cohen, a recognised expert in the area, who made certain recommendations about the safe delivery of obstetrics services to women and children. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
(2) Will the minister also confirm that, at the end of its four years in office, the Gallop Government will have spent only a quarter of the funding it promised for the capital upgrade of the hospital? (3) Is the minister aware that his decision to downgrade the hospital will force pregnant mothers and people needing serious surgery to attend facilities far outside their community? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I am delighted to be the bearer of good news for the member. The answer to his first question is a very clear no. There is a lot of misinformation in the balance of his question. Perhaps I will set out a few facts. The Government has received two reports in recent times. The Reid report lays out the blueprint for the future of our health system that this Government intends to implement. It will be for the benefit of the entire community that we do exactly that. Secondly, we had a report on obstetrics by Dr Harry Cohen, a recognised expert in the area, who made certain recommendations about the safe delivery of obstetrics services to women and children. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
(3) Is the minister aware that his decision to downgrade the hospital will force pregnant mothers and people needing serious surgery to attend facilities far outside their community? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I am delighted to be the bearer of good news for the member. The answer to his first question is a very clear no. There is a lot of misinformation in the balance of his question. Perhaps I will set out a few facts. The Government has received two reports in recent times. The Reid report lays out the blueprint for the future of our health system that this Government intends to implement. It will be for the benefit of the entire community that we do exactly that. Secondly, we had a report on obstetrics by Dr Harry Cohen, a recognised expert in the area, who made certain recommendations about the safe delivery of obstetrics services to women and children. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I am delighted to be the bearer of good news for the member. The answer to his first question is a very clear no. There is a lot of misinformation in the balance of his question. Perhaps I will set out a few facts. The Government has received two reports in recent times. The Reid report lays out the blueprint for the future of our health system that this Government intends to implement. It will be for the benefit of the entire community that we do exactly that. Secondly, we had a report on obstetrics by Dr Harry Cohen, a recognised expert in the area, who made certain recommendations about the safe delivery of obstetrics services to women and children. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
(1)-(3) I am delighted to be the bearer of good news for the member. The answer to his first question is a very clear no. There is a lot of misinformation in the balance of his question. Perhaps I will set out a few facts. The Government has received two reports in recent times. The Reid report lays out the blueprint for the future of our health system that this Government intends to implement. It will be for the benefit of the entire community that we do exactly that. Secondly, we had a report on obstetrics by Dr Harry Cohen, a recognised expert in the area, who made certain recommendations about the safe delivery of obstetrics services to women and children. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
I refer the minister to the Australian Labor Party pre-election commitment to spend $5.5 million in upgrading Kalamunda District Community Hospital. (1) Will the minister first confirm that the Government is downgrading the hospital by removing obstetric and multi-day surgery services and cutting bed numbers by more than half? (2) Will the minister also confirm that, at the end of its four years in office, the Gallop Government will have spent only a quarter of the funding it promised for the capital upgrade of the hospital? (3) Is the minister aware that his decision to downgrade the hospital will force pregnant mothers and people needing serious surgery to attend facilities far outside their community? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I am delighted to be the bearer of good news for the member. The answer to his first question is a very clear no. There is a lot of misinformation in the balance of his question. Perhaps I will set out a few facts. The Government has received two reports in recent times. The Reid report lays out the blueprint for the future of our health system that this Government intends to implement. It will be for the benefit of the entire community that we do exactly that. Secondly, we had a report on obstetrics by Dr Harry Cohen, a recognised expert in the area, who made certain recommendations about the safe delivery of obstetrics services to women and children. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
(1) Will the minister first confirm that the Government is downgrading the hospital by removing obstetric and multi-day surgery services and cutting bed numbers by more than half? (2) Will the minister also confirm that, at the end of its four years in office, the Gallop Government will have spent only a quarter of the funding it promised for the capital upgrade of the hospital? (3) Is the minister aware that his decision to downgrade the hospital will force pregnant mothers and people needing serious surgery to attend facilities far outside their community? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I am delighted to be the bearer of good news for the member. The answer to his first question is a very clear no. There is a lot of misinformation in the balance of his question. Perhaps I will set out a few facts. The Government has received two reports in recent times. The Reid report lays out the blueprint for the future of our health system that this Government intends to implement. It will be for the benefit of the entire community that we do exactly that. Secondly, we had a report on obstetrics by Dr Harry Cohen, a recognised expert in the area, who made certain recommendations about the safe delivery of obstetrics services to women and children. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
(2) Will the minister also confirm that, at the end of its four years in office, the Gallop Government will have spent only a quarter of the funding it promised for the capital upgrade of the hospital? (3) Is the minister aware that his decision to downgrade the hospital will force pregnant mothers and people needing serious surgery to attend facilities far outside their community? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I am delighted to be the bearer of good news for the member. The answer to his first question is a very clear no. There is a lot of misinformation in the balance of his question. Perhaps I will set out a few facts. The Government has received two reports in recent times. The Reid report lays out the blueprint for the future of our health system that this Government intends to implement. It will be for the benefit of the entire community that we do exactly that. Secondly, we had a report on obstetrics by Dr Harry Cohen, a recognised expert in the area, who made certain recommendations about the safe delivery of obstetrics services to women and children. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
(3) Is the minister aware that his decision to downgrade the hospital will force pregnant mothers and people needing serious surgery to attend facilities far outside their community? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I am delighted to be the bearer of good news for the member. The answer to his first question is a very clear no. There is a lot of misinformation in the balance of his question. Perhaps I will set out a few facts. The Government has received two reports in recent times. The Reid report lays out the blueprint for the future of our health system that this Government intends to implement. It will be for the benefit of the entire community that we do exactly that. Secondly, we had a report on obstetrics by Dr Harry Cohen, a recognised expert in the area, who made certain recommendations about the safe delivery of obstetrics services to women and children. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I am delighted to be the bearer of good news for the member. The answer to his first question is a very clear no. There is a lot of misinformation in the balance of his question. Perhaps I will set out a few facts. The Government has received two reports in recent times. The Reid report lays out the blueprint for the future of our health system that this Government intends to implement. It will be for the benefit of the entire community that we do exactly that. Secondly, we had a report on obstetrics by Dr Harry Cohen, a recognised expert in the area, who made certain recommendations about the safe delivery of obstetrics services to women and children. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
(1)-(3) I am delighted to be the bearer of good news for the member. The answer to his first question is a very clear no. There is a lot of misinformation in the balance of his question. Perhaps I will set out a few facts. The Government has received two reports in recent times. The Reid report lays out the blueprint for the future of our health system that this Government intends to implement. It will be for the benefit of the entire community that we do exactly that. Secondly, we had a report on obstetrics by Dr Harry Cohen, a recognised expert in the area, who made certain recommendations about the safe delivery of obstetrics services to women and children. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: I would love to be able to yell, but I cannot. I ask the member to listen, because I cannot return fire today. The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
The Reid report recommended that we upgrade the Swan District Hospital to a 300-bed general hospital, which would be an enormous boost to medical services for people living in Perth’s north eastern corridor. The Government has accepted that recommendation and will implement it. In September this year tenders will be called for the $5.5 million upgrade of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. In October tenders will be called for the Swan District obstetrics upgrade, which is desperately overdue. We will see a following through of the commitment to upgrade Kalamunda hospital. That is consistent with the action taken by my predecessor to remove the safety hazard that existed for a long time at the hospital. Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.H.D. Day interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: I am sorry; I am doing my best, but I cannot yell back at the member. Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.H.D. Day: What safety hazard? Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: There were no firewalls in the hospital, and the member’s side did nothing about it during its eight years in government. The member did nothing about it during his time as the Minister for Health. The problem was fixed some 18 months ago. It is not intended to take any action to reconfigure the services provided at the Kalamunda hospital until the upgrading of the Swan District Hospital and the Kalamunda hospital are complete. That is expected to take between 12 and 18 months. As members know, I have been out to Kalamunda and have met with a range of people interested in the future of the hospital. In particular, we have been progressing the desire of local general practitioners who are keen to establish a primary medical care service on the site of the Kalamunda District Community Hospital. I am keen to progress that and have indicated as much. There are, however, two difficulties with that, although neither difficulty has anything to do with the desire of the Government to offer assistance to the local general practitioners. The first is that the value placed on the land in question by the Valuer General has been somewhat higher than we anticipated, which affects the economics of the proposal. Secondly, the costs of site works at the hospital are expected to be somewhat greater than was originally envisaged. Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.H.D. Day: They won’t do it if you downgrade the hospital. That is the point. Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: The member keeps spreading misinformation. I am disappointed that he is doing that, because Kalamunda hospital - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: Unfortunately, I am not in a position to yell back. I ask members to bear with me. Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
Kalamunda District Community Hospital currently has 53 beds. A plan has been worked up over a period to reduce by five the number of maternity beds at the hospital; however, that should be offset by increases in other services provided at Kalamunda hospital. We project that an additional 500 day surgery cases will be undertaken at Kalamunda hospital. We anticipate that a significant expansion of palliative care services will be provided through Kalamunda hospital. We also intend to expand aged care and rehabilitation considerably. We also see a significant role for local people who, having been to a tertiary hospital to receive surgery or other forms of medical treatment, will be accommodated at Kalamunda hospital as post-acute and step-down patients. All of those things will see a significant boost to health care services provided to those in not only the Kalamunda region, but also the north east metropolitan region.
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