Citizens’ agenda: Hammond needs better hospitals and emergency departments
Sally Lockwood invites the state election candidates to explain how they will improve health services in the Murraylands.
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Sally Lockwood is no stranger to the inside of a hospital.
The Murray Bridge octogenarian lives with a range of ailments, and “gets carted off to the hospital frequently”, as she put it.
The local doctors and nurses had always done their best to care for her, she said; but as both a patient and a former nurse herself, she worried about their workload.
“There’s only one doctor and two nurses late at night or early in the morning,” she said.
“When you get in, you do your ECG, they take some blood, then you don’t see anybody – you’re just left there.
“Last time (I visited) … it was two o’clock in the morning – I think I went in about 8pm – before they took me into a bed in the ICU, and it wasn’t until (my doctor) came in the next morning about nine o’clock that I knew what was going on.”
She worried that too much paperwork was keeping the staff from their patients.
She is not alone.
Hospital services came up as a top-five issue in Murray Bridge News’ election survey back in February, and mental health services and the Mannum and Murray Bridge helipads were not far behind.
A number of respondents complained about GPs from a private clinic being contracted to provide services at Murray Bridge’s public hospital.
Others worried about the lack of radiology services over the weekend, or the age of Murray Bridge’s maternity unit – “so primitive even Florence Nightingale would be upset”.
“Some locals drive to … Mount Barker, as (they get) better care than they have experienced here,” one respondent said.
So we put the question to the candidates for Hammond.
If elected, how will you improve local hospitals, and reduce pressure on our emergency departments?
Robert Roylance, One Nation
Murray Bridge News is awaiting a comment from Mr Roylance.
Carmelo Graziano, United Voice
Health care in regional communities must be treated as a priority. People in Hammond should not have to travel long distances or face long delays when urgent care is needed. If elected, I would push for a review of public spending to ensure funding is directed where it matters most: essential services like hospitals and front-line health care. Government must prioritise the real needs of families and communities, and that starts with making sure our health system is properly supported. It has also been brought to my attention that some country hospital helipads may not be fully operational due to approval or compliance issues. That is something I would want to examine closely, because in emergencies helicopter access can mean the difference between life and death. Healthcare should focus on prevention and early intervention so communities stay healthier and stronger.
Adrian Pederick, Liberal
If elected, a Hurn Liberal government will give the maternity ward at the Murray Bridge Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital a $7 million upgrade. This will include:
- Two birthing suites with ensuites
- Four fit-for-purpose postnatal rooms with ensuites
- A designated women’s assessment space
- A neonatal resuscitation space
The Patient Assistance Transport Scheme (PATS) will be made broader to help more regional people seeking medical treatment in the city. Under a Liberal government, the eligibility of the program will be expanded to include cumulative travel for those who live greater than 50 kilometres and less than 100km from treatment locations, and travel more than 200km in a week. Unlike Labor, this will cover all specialist treatments, not just renal and oncology. We will also increase the overnight accommodation rate to $110, and index this yearly to ensure the rate keeps up with inflation.
Lucas Hope, independent
Murray Bridge is growing fast, with some projections showing us hitting close to 40,000 people in the next 15-20 years. I’ve been pushing for a major upgrade to the Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital all along, but the numbers I’m seeing now make it clear: patching it up won’t cut it. We need a whole new, modern hospital built here to handle the growth properly and take real pressure off emergency departments. If you put me in, I’ll fight tooth and nail with whoever’s in government to make that new hospital happen – more beds, better facilities, specialist services – so our families get the care they deserve without the endless waits. I’m independent. No party spin – just proper health fixes for us.
Nicole Palachicky, Greens
The Greens aim to reclaim our stolen wealth by significantly increasing the rates paid by resources companies: refined mineral and ore royalties from the current 3.5-5 per cent to 20% of the resource value, and petroleum royalties to 25% of the wellhead value. These increases are estimated to raise approximately $3.8 billion over four years to cover the costs of our health care proposal and infrastructure for the following services:
- Mental health: Increase psychological support to 20 sessions per year under Medicare
- 50 free local health care clinics: To be established across South Australia, staffed by GPs, dentists, psychologists, and nurses with full bulk billing and no out-of-pocket costs
- Comprehensive services: Clinics would offer bulk-billed specialist support for mental health, substance abuse, disability, homelessness, and family violence
- Regional support: Focus on rural and regional accessibility, with alternatives like reliable internet and shared community facilities where large clinics are not viable
Simone Bailey, Labor
The (Peter) Malinauskas Labor government has tackled the challenges facing our health system head-on over the last four years. We’ve hired 2409 more doctors and nurses – the equivalent of a whole new hospital. We’ve worked with the federal government to expand bulk billing. We’ve also expanded access to urgent care in the regions, including in Hammond, after the Liberal government closed an emergency department in the district. A re-elected Malinauskas government will expand eligibility for the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme, meaning people in Murray Bridge can access it. We’ll invest in the Murray Bridge hospital, with a new maternity ward and birthing unit, and a new permanent ambulance crew for Murray Bridge. Hammond has a clear choice: more of the same with the incumbent Liberal, a party focused on Queensland in One Nation, or a local voice as part of a Malinauskas team in Labor.
Airlie Keen, independent
Gaps in health, aged care, disability and mental health services right across Hammond are of real concern. Doctors are under pressure and the system is at breaking point. That’s why I’m calling for public GPs at the ED and all-hours medical imaging for Murray Bridge, as well as planning for a new hospital. It is interesting to compare Labor’s approach to development at Concordia, in Adelaide’s north. Labor announced land had been secured for a Greater Northern Adelaide Hospital. Concordia reportedly will deliver approximately 10,000 homes, for 25,000 people, across 995 hectares of land. Murray Bridge’s Gifford Hill development is estimated to deliver approximately 17,000 homes, for 44,000 people, on 1860ha of land. As well we have just secured the rezoning in Murray Bridge west. A good question for Labor is: where is the planning for our new hospital?
Note: Murray Bridge News has attempted to contact all 12 candidates.
