William Tam: Women’s and Children’s Hospital at new RAH site was promised last election and must be delivered

BEFORE the last election in 2014, with much fanfare, Labor promised it would co-locate the Women’s and Children’s Hospital with the new RAH. It’s time they – or whoever forms government – delivered, writes AMA SA President William Tam.

THE elephant in the room for the medical profession this election campaign is children.

Before the last election in 2014, with much fanfare, Labor promised it would co-locate the Women’s and Children’s Hospital with the new RAH.

Unlike the RAH debate that polarised views the election before, a co-located Women’s and Children’s Hospital was a plan the medical community was wholeheartedly behind.

Now doctors fear we may end up with a substandard, piecemeal approach for these important services, since the government announced two separate hospitals: one for women and babies, and one for children. But a new Women’s Hospital without the integrated children’s component represents a regressive step. Times have changed, and we now know more about what is best and safest for mothers, babies and children.

The isolation of women’s health from more advanced adult specialist services has been a weakness with tragic results. So moving it next to the RAH is the right thing to do. But doing so without pairing it with babies’ and children’s services would be exchanging one weakness for another.

Moving the Women’s and Children’s Hospital next to the RAH is the right thing to do. Picture: Nearmap

Clinicians are concerned this will leave very sick neonates without on-site access to vital subspecialty medical and surgical services, specialised radiology and laboratory investigations.

It would also mean lost opportunities for valuable multidisciplinary team clinical input and training. We need a unified vision for a women’s and children’s hospital now, with more concrete details.

The government has had years to work with clinicians on such a plan, and present it to the public. To not have done so by now has been a breach of faith with clinicians and all women who welcomed the shiny promise of 2013.

The child health services plan that has languished in some dusty government drawer also needs to come out. Whichever party forms government must provide for other vital services for children and young people throughout this state. All other parties have told the AMA that they are committed to a co-located WCH. All must be held to these undertakings.

Australian Medical Association SA President William Tam. Picture: Tom Huntley

We will not accept a winding back, or more broken promises. We will not accept a substandard offering for the women, children and babies the WCH has so faithfully served. And we will not accept decisions about the future of children’s services to continue be made without a coherent overarching plan to give our children the best care we can provide.

The AMA (SA) has placed people first in its election priorities. This includes the care of our most precious people, the children and babies of all South Australians.

Associate Professor William Tam is AMA (SA) President