Health Minister Jack Snelling poised to dump 2013 promise to build new Women’s & Children’s Hospital at new Royal Adelaide Hospital

UPDATED: Premier Jay Weatherill and Health Minister Jack Snelling still refuse to confirm a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital will be built next to the new RAH, as promised in the lead-up to the 2014 election..

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Premier Jay Weatherill and Health Minister Jack Snelling are still refusing to confirm a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital will be built next to the new RAH, as promised in the lead-up to the 2014 election.

Both took to radio today to promise a new hospital will be built — but declined to back the pledge on its location — today’s The Advertiser reported Mr Snelling appeared poised to dump plans for the new WCH.

In October 2013, Mr Weatherill announced the new WCH would be built next to the new RAH. The Government released a brochure — complete with photos of cute babies and pregnant women — with a message from Mr Snelling pledged the move and saying it would be open in 2023.

The brochure included artists’ impressions showing the facility adjoining the new RAH but no money has since been set aside for the project.

Mr Snelling today said the commitment to a new hospital would be honoured but that “you can’t rush these things” and refused to say where it would be built.

Questioned on 5AA if it would be at the new RAH site he said: “We have no made a definitive decision — we need to work through what the options are.”

He said this work included discussions with clinicians and researchers.

However, Opposition health spokesman Stephen Wade said clinicians — including the Australian Medical Association — had already warmly welcomed the RAH co-location plan and noted going into the 2014 election Labor pledged to set up a working group within 100 days to plan the move.

“There was no working group established within 100 days ... there have been no calls for expressions of interest, no money in the forward estimates,” he said.

Mr Wade said a consultant’s report that formed the basis of Transforming Health suggested closing the hospital and spreading its services among other hospitals, and he predicted the WCH may simply be refurbished on its existing site.

The WCH has no adult intensive care unit, creating problems where sick mothers need to be transferred to other centres for care away from their newborn babies.

“Alarmed” doctors told today’s The Advertiser that any backdown on the commitment would be a “betrayal of trust” to the medical community and the public.

Asked repeatedly if the new hospital would be built on the nRAH site as promised, Mr Snelling would not directly answer, instead saying: “We are having a look at what all the options are”.

“With regard to rebuilding the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, there is a body of work going on in the department looking at exactly how we bring it to fruition,” he said.

“It is a significant piece of work — it is not something that can be rushed. I will make sure we get the best outcome for everyone. My promise is to build a new WCH and that is what will happen.”

Interim SA Health chief executive Vickie Kaminski with Health Minister Jack Snelling. Picture: Stephen Laffer

Also asked repeatedly on Thursday if it may end up simply being a rebuild on the existing site, Mr Snelling declined to rule it out.

“I’m not prepared to go into that at the moment,” he said. “We will have more to say about a new WCH in due course.”

Mr Snelling denied there was still an option to close the hospital and integrate its services at other hospitals, as proposed by Transforming Health consultants McKinsey & Co in a secret report to the State Government, as revealed by The Advertiser on Wednesday.

When specifically asked by The Advertiser in an interview on Wednesday if this controversial integration proposal was still on the table, SA Health interim chief executive Vickie Kaminski said it was still being considered and all options remained under review.

On Thursday she joined Mr Snelling at a press conference to say she thought she was being asked about a new WCH.

“I obviously was not as clear as I thought I was,” she said, while Mr Snelling — who was not at the interview — claimed her comments had been taken out of context.

Mr Snelling said: “There have never, ever been any plans to close the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and there never will be, nor will there be, so long as I am Health Minister and Labor is in government.”

Questioned about public trust in such statements in light of Labor’s promises to “never, ever” close the Repatriation Hospital, he said: “We are seeing a great outcome at the Repat.”

Opposition Leader Steven Marshall demanded the State Government put money for a new WCH in the forthcoming Midyear Budget Review.

He accused the Government of having a secret plan to close the hospital, claiming the budget for the new RAH has blown out by an amount equivalent to the original proposed cost of a new WCH.

“I remind people what the Government said about closing the Repat — it would never, ever be closed under Labor, yet that is precisely what happened,” Mr Marshall said.

Vickie Kaminski speaks to the media on Thursday.

“Labor is lurching from health crisis to crisis with the nRAH, EPAS, Transforming Health.”

Australian Medical Association SA president Dr Janice Fletcher said the AMA was “alarmed” at the Government backing away from its 2013 commitment.

“The co-location was a core promise from the Premier and the minister in 2013 prior to the state election,” Dr Fletcher said. “The AMA holds the Government to its commitment.

“Any move to retreat from this commitment would be a betrayal of trust with the medical community and more importantly, the South Australian public.”

Meanwhile, eminent paediatric oncologist Dr Michael Rice, who has a children’s cancer centre named in his honour at the WCH, revealed the Government quietly shelved a major child health plan prior to the election which has ramifications for the child protection scandal.

Dr Rice said he was on a committee that drew up the statewide Child Health Plan — later downgraded to a “framework” — which supported a new WCH at the new RAH precinct and also called for extensive community health services.

“The committee worked on it for three years but it was put in a bottom draw just before the last election and has quietly disappeared,” Dr Rice said.

“There was a lot done to improve child health but it just faded into oblivion once Transforming Health came along and the committee was abolished.

“Sick kids get looked after pretty well in this state but the piece missing is additional community health services — the child protection fiasco is part of that and it badly needs some serious attention, not the minister saying he is too busy focusing on the new RAH.”

The Advertiser has sought comment from SA Health on the issue but it has not replied.