Page 2060 - Week 07 - Thursday, 16 June 1994
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QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Woden Valley Hospital - Bed Numbers
MRS CARNELL: Madam Speaker, my question without notice is to Mr Connolly, the Minister for Health. Minister, when you took over the health ministry you promised that after the budget you would reopen 56 beds at Woden Valley Hospital that were closed by Mr Berry before Christmas. Will you guarantee that you will open all 56 of these beds as promised? Can you tell the Assembly when this will happen?
MR CONNOLLY: Actually, it is 55 rather than 56; but never mind. Madam Speaker, as we speak moves are afoot to open some 24 additional beds. I hope that we will have them by 1 July.
Mrs Carnell: It does not sound like 56.
MR CONNOLLY: Just settle, Mrs Carnell. These include three in surgical neurology, which will clearly have an impact on waiting lists; 11 in paediatrics; four in the high-dependency unit, an area which is very important for elective surgery waiting lists; four in oncology; and two dedicated to the bone marrow transplantation service, so that in effect means six in oncology. That is 24.
Madam Speaker, as of 1 September we will have the opening of the maternity services at John James Hospital, with a total there of some 26 beds. We are not going to have a whole lot of people having more babies as a result of the opening of those 26 beds. We should not; it is a question of demand and supply, but I do not think that will occur. The people who go to John James will, by and large, be the people who were going into Woden as private patients. That will significantly free up demands there, and it is likely that some of those beds that are now maternity will be used for other purposes, particularly in antenatal or elsewhere. I want to see what the impact is as from 1 September.
The move to reopen those 24 beds will immediately bring us up to some 600 beds in Woden Valley Hospital. Calvary remains at 192. We have approved in recent months a total of some 55 additional beds in the private sector, which will take significant pressure off the public sector. When those beds come on stream we will have some 1,051 beds across the total Canberra system, compared to some 972 which we had some weeks ago. Madam Speaker, we do see a significant increase. As I say, 24 are coming on stream immediately. We will look at what is to happen when we can assess the impact of the move of maternity clients who are currently going into Woden as private patients and are likely to go into John James.
MRS CARNELL: I have a short supplementary question. Minister, do you now admit that you have broken your promise to reopen the 56 beds, and that the 21 or 22 beds will remain closed?
MR CONNOLLY: Madam Speaker, a silly supplementary question like that deserves no answer.
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