Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to report that on 16 July the federal health minister, the Hon. Sussan Ley, made a flying visit to the Goldfields-Esperance area to meet with local health professionals to discuss difficulties encountered delivering health services in regional and remote areas. The day started in Kalgoorlie with a visit to the Royal Flying Doctor Service to tour their impressive facility and to announce a grant of $2.5 million to support the purchase of a Pilatus PC-12 aircraft to service the Aboriginal communities and more remote areas of my electorate of O'Connor. Minister Ley also discussed the $20 million in increased funding to the RFDS announced in this year's budget. This additional funding will take the Commonwealth government's contribution to the RFDS to $68 million per annum for the financial years 2015-16 and 2016-17. This increased capacity also ties in with a campaign I am spearheading to expand the Norseman Airport capacity to an all-weather strip to allow the RFDS to access the strategic three-way junction between Highway 1 crossing the Nullarbor and the Goldfields-Esperance Highway on any given day of the year.

Another great initiative we shared with Minister Ley was the telehealth facility at the Kalgoorlie Hospital, where we participated in a real-time consultation with Leonora doctor Leo Winslow. WA Country Health Service recently completed a successful pilot trial of telehealth delivery, which proved of considerable value when the Laverton Hospital was without a doctor. Telehealth currently allows for emergency and 11 different specialist consultations from remote outposts. Minster Ley showed great interest in the current delivery of telehealth and is excited about the prospects for future delivery of a greater suite of services through this technology. This year's budget added an MBS item for telehealth and ophthalmology services in regional Australia, and the current MBS review will look at removing outdated services and replacing them with innovative services like telehealth going forward.

We also took the opportunity to visit the dialysis ward and inspected some of the new seven new chairs funded by this Commonwealth government. It was great to see the patients so comfortable while being cared for by the wonderful staff on this ward. Given that many of the patients are Indigenous and most have travelled from the Ngaanyatjarra lands to receive treatment three days per week, it is very exciting to hear that a 19-bed hostel on Brown Avenue is ready to begin construction—once again, funded by the Commonwealth government.

While on the Kalgoorlie Health Campus, the minister and I hosted a roundtable discussion with health professionals from across the Goldfields at the Rural Clinical School. This was a great opportunity for Minister Ley to hear about the unique challenges faced by health service providers who work in remote and very remote communities. This is a summary of some of the people who attended the roundtable and some of their contributions: pharmacist John Coufos—and I thank John for making the trip down from Leonora—and Kalgoorlie pharmacists Brooke and Oliver Dziubak.

The pharmacists in general were very happy with pharmacy agreement No. 6, but in relation to Goldfields there was some concern over the delivery of the S100 drug and medicine mechanism for Aboriginal communities. Paediatrician Christine Jeffries-Stokes raised the issue of Indigenous young people not getting access to good health services and she raised, very strongly, her opposition to the state government's proposal to close down remote communities. Primary Health Network CEO, Andy Barnes, was there to reassure that health providers across Goldfields were transitioned into the new Primary Health Networks from the old Medicare Locals. Manager of Goldfields Rehabilitation Services, Jane Fajardo, highlighted the lack of rehab facilities and detox facilities across Goldfields, particularly for people addicted to ice. Kylie Sterry, who is an obstetrician GP and principal at Plaza Medical Service and also lectures at the Rural Clinical School, provided us with her amazing range of expertise across the board. I thank the minister for the time that she took to sit down with local health providers to brainstorm innovative ways forward for O'Connor.

After the visit to Kalgoorlie we made a very quick trip to Esperance where we met with half a dozen GPs. Their issue primarily revolved around providing internship places in regional areas, particularly in towns like Esperance, so that young GPs can receive training in situ in regional areas.

Next week I will have the pleasure of representing the minister in Kalgoorlie to open the newly refurbished block 1 at the Kalgoorlie Health Campus. This block is being completed as part of a $55.8 million redevelopment of the Kalgoorlie Health Campus, including $15.8 million funding from the Western Australian government. It houses outpatients, allied health, patient assisted travel schemes and a $3.8 million Commonwealth funded cancer centre.