Sydney Hospital Restructuring

About this Item
Speakers - Nori Ms Sandra; Phillips Mr Ronald
Business - Questions Without Notice

SYDNEY HOSPITAL RESTRUCTURING

Ms NORI: My question without notice is to the Minister for Health Services Management. Do Sydney Hospital doctors claim their hospital would be better closed than having the Minister halve its budget? Is the hospital pathology unit being moved to Prince of Wales Hospital? Why is the Minister transferring resources to Sydney's east?

Mr PHILLIPS: The hypocrisy of the Opposition astounds me. I want to know what the Opposition's health policy is. Does the Opposition not believe that resources need to go to western Sydney, southwestern Sydney, the Central Coast and North Coast, where people are crying out for resources to provide health care? That is where the people are. Do members opposite believe that eastern Sydney and central Sydney, which have seven beds per thousand people, should keep all those hospital beds, while people out in the west, southwest and Central Coast areas have fewer than two beds per thousand in some cases.

Mr Nagle: Why did you close St Joseph's Hospital?

[Interruption]

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Londonderry to order for the second time.

Mr PHILLIPS: That is another outright lie that the Opposition continues to tell. St Joseph's Hospital, about which the Opposition lies by saying it has been closed, has in fact been redesignated - more evidence that the Opposition does not have a coherent health policy. What would the Opposition do for the people of the Auburn-Lidcombe area in terms of health? That part of Sydney has about seven beds per thousand people. One kilometre up the road from St Joseph's Hospital is Auburn District Hospital, which provides acute care.

[Interruption]

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order.

Mr PHILLIPS: In the other direction is Westmead hospital, one of the leading hospitals in this State. St Joseph's Hospital has already taken on and will concentrate on a role in palliative care, aged care and psycho-geriatric care. Over the next few years it is expected that the number of aged people in that part of Sydney will increase by 60 per cent. Is the honourable member for Auburn telling me that St Joseph's Hospital, which will provide specialist care for the aged -

[Interruption]

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Auburn to order.

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Mr PHILLIPS: - is providing second-rate care for the aged in that area? If he is saying that, it is absolute nonsense. St Joseph's Hospital has a proud 105-year history -

[Interruption]

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Port Jackson to order.

[Interruption]

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Port Jackson to order for the second time.

Mr Gibson: Tell us about Hawkesbury hospital.

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Londonderry to order for the third time. Yesterday a number of members, including the member for Ashfield, complained about the lack of questions that are asked from time to time in this Chamber. Although 16 questions were asked on Tuesday, but only five were asked yesterday. One reason for paucity of questions is continual interjections. It is a tradition of this House that Ministers when answering questions respond to interjections. Members who continue to interject and give a Minister opportunities to expand on an answer, have only themselves to blame if they thereby lessen their chance to ask a question. I ask all members to co-operate in the interest of giving the maximum number of members the opportunity to ask questions.

Mr PHILLIPS: I assure the honourable member for Londonderry that we will build Hawkesbury hospital, unlike the former Labor Government. In terms of Sydney Hospital, on many occasions we have made it quite plain in this place and in public exactly why the restructuring needs to occur. No one - especially those on the other side - has been able to give good reason for treating that hospital differently. Nor have they come up with a plan to show how resources can be found to fund services in their electorates in western Sydney. I will obtain information on the detail of the concerns raised by the honourable member for Port Jackson. But the restructuring of Sydney Hospital stays.

Later,

Mr PHILLIPS: Earlier the honourable member for Port Jackson asked me a question about Sydney Hospital. I have some further information for the honourable member. Considerable work has been undertaken between the area health service, the management of Sydney Hospital and staff to frame its new role to service the inner city and the central business district. This work is continuing, and the budget and staffing profile has been agreed by the hospital management and the area health service within the parameters of their new role. Eastern Sydney Area
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Health Service has advised that active negotiations are taking place on the support services required for the new role of the hospital. Pathology services are one of the areas being reviewed. The options for delivery of pathology services to the hospital are under active consideration but there is no doubt that the services of Sydney Hospital should be supported by those provided at the major teaching hospitals nearby.

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