❓ Ms. Mettam questions the Minister for Health about the lack of progress in resolving parking issues at Perth Children's Hospital, which forces parents with sick children to walk long distances from a COVID-19 testing clinic. The Minister defends the parking changes as necessary to protect vulnerable patients during a COVID-19 surge.
AnsweredQoN 167Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PERTH CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL — PARKING
167. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I refer to my grievance on 24 February
about changes to the parking arrangements at Perth Children's Hospital
that have resulted in parents having to park near a COVID-testing clinic and
walk for up to 15 minutes to PCH, often carrying their sick children, and to
the minister's response that ''it is not permanent, and it is
something that we are looking to fix imminently.'' Given a month has
passed, what changes have been made to fix the situation?
167. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I refer to my grievance on 24 February
about changes to the parking arrangements at Perth Children's Hospital
that have resulted in parents having to park near a COVID-testing clinic and
walk for up to 15 minutes to PCH, often carrying their sick children, and to
the minister's response that ''it is not permanent, and it is
something that we are looking to fix imminently.'' Given a month has
passed, what changes have been made to fix the situation?
AnswerView source ↗
When I responded to that grievance,
I outlined in a lot of detail the purpose for the change, which was to be able
to stream and screen patients and visitors coming into the hospital—a
hospital with our most vulnerable patients, children, many of whom are not old
enough to be vaccinated and many of whom are undergoing treatments that
suppress their immune systems. The purpose of the change was to protect those
children and to screen people. We know that people are coming into that
hospital with COVID, as appropriate, with their children, and that was the
reason that change was in place.
I know that the member for Vasse has
not asked me a question for a couple of question times, but she might realise
that we are still in the middle of not only a pandemic, but also a surge in
COVID cases. We had 7 000 cases today. Although it is incredibly difficult for
those parents to manage with the Perth Children's Hospital car park not
being accessible to them, and I expressed my frustration at the process that
the hospital had engaged in in doing that and advised
that we are working with them to remediate the situation, we are still in the
middle of a pandemic and people are going into that hospital with COVID. The
only alternative for people with COVID is to go in the same entrances, lifts
and car park as the people who are having oncology treatment. That is the
alternative right now! As I also outlined, hours have been spent walking the
floor of the hospital, going up and down in the lifts—the green lifts,
the blue lifts, the pink lifts and the lifts from the basement car park. I can
assure the parents that enormous amounts of time and effort are being spent on
trying to remediate the situation; however, at this point, the safest possible
outcome for our most vulnerable patients is that that car park remains closed
to visitors until the surge in cases passes.
I outlined in a lot of detail the purpose for the change, which was to be able
to stream and screen patients and visitors coming into the hospital—a
hospital with our most vulnerable patients, children, many of whom are not old
enough to be vaccinated and many of whom are undergoing treatments that
suppress their immune systems. The purpose of the change was to protect those
children and to screen people. We know that people are coming into that
hospital with COVID, as appropriate, with their children, and that was the
reason that change was in place.
I know that the member for Vasse has
not asked me a question for a couple of question times, but she might realise
that we are still in the middle of not only a pandemic, but also a surge in
COVID cases. We had 7 000 cases today. Although it is incredibly difficult for
those parents to manage with the Perth Children's Hospital car park not
being accessible to them, and I expressed my frustration at the process that
the hospital had engaged in in doing that and advised
that we are working with them to remediate the situation, we are still in the
middle of a pandemic and people are going into that hospital with COVID. The
only alternative for people with COVID is to go in the same entrances, lifts
and car park as the people who are having oncology treatment. That is the
alternative right now! As I also outlined, hours have been spent walking the
floor of the hospital, going up and down in the lifts—the green lifts,
the blue lifts, the pink lifts and the lifts from the basement car park. I can
assure the parents that enormous amounts of time and effort are being spent on
trying to remediate the situation; however, at this point, the safest possible
outcome for our most vulnerable patients is that that car park remains closed
to visitors until the surge in cases passes.
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