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Government outlines hospital investment

Posted on November 25, 2009, 11:11am and updated on November 25, 2009 at 12:04 pm

Chemotherapy treatments at the Mount Gambier Hospital have risen from 67 in 2006-07 to 516 in 2008-09, according to Health Minister John Hill.

The increased treatments were offered through a new coordinated cancer care network based at the hospital, Mr Hill revealed only days after the Grant District Council called on the Mount Gambier Hospital to explore opportunities for a regional cancer centre.

Grant Council made the call after the Federal Government announced it has committed $560m to set up regional cancer centres across Australia to help improve access and support for cancer patients in rural, regional and remote Australia, and to help close the gap in cancer outcomes between the city and country.

But Mr Hill said additional resources invested in the hospital over the past five years provided an integrated country health care system with first-class care close to home.

“Mount Gambier Hospital is destined to be one of South Australia’s four country general hospitals and we’re making sure more specialist services are available locally, so only patients requiring highly specialised or complex care will need to travel to Adelaide,” he said.

Apart from the new cancer care network service, other new services introduced to the hospital over the past five years included an additional 100 cataract and other ophthalmic cases every year with an increase of 49pc, the expansion of the renal dialysis unit, new paediatric surgery services and an increase in visiting specialists providing outpatient services in the community.

Mr Hill said over $3m has been invested in capital works since the Rann Government has come to office, including:

  • $434,000 to upgrade accident and emergency plus the consulting rooms
  • $300,000 for new sterilisation facilities in the operating theatres
  • $194,000 for equipment for a surgical urology service
  • $160,000 to upgrade the dialysis rooms and machines
  • $159,000 for new equipment in the hospital’s high-dependency unit
  • $130,000 for new anaesthesia equipment
  • $110,000 to extend the staff car park.

New clinical staff appointed included two full time specialist paediatricians and a senior registrar, three general surgeons, two specialist physicians, a resident psychiatrist, a second Australian graduate specialist anaesthetist and four GP supervisors to support and teach junior medical staff in the emergency ward.

Mr Hill said he also wanted to make sure doctors train in the country and stay in the country.

“We’ve set up a new internship program at the hospital and six Australian graduate doctors are training through the program — three of whom are from the Lower South East and are likely to practise locally once they are qualified,” he said.

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