Public doubts grow over new RAH as support for raising smoking age revealed
FAITH in the RAH is shaking, this year’s landmark Your Say SA reveals, as the public has its say on the $2.4b new hospital, raising the smoking age and the great vape debate.
- FULL RESULTS: See all the findings from Your Say SA 2018
READ BELOW: Country, city united on health gap
READ BELOW: No faith in vapes as public backs ban
- YOUR SAY SA: Canberra chaos boosts both SA leaders
PUBLIC faith in the $2.4 billion Royal Adelaide Hospital took a battering – and that was before major medical unions began threatening industrial action over the hospital’s chronically gridlocked Emergency Department.
More than a year after opening, the RAH continues to have trouble moving people through its ED leading to delays and regular ambulance ramping where ambulance officers have to care for people in the carpark rather than being available for emergency calls.
As The Advertiser has regularly reported, the RAH continues to have people stuck in the ED who have been treated but are waiting for a bed, often for more than 24 hours.
This is occurring even at relatively quiet times – last Tuesday at 1pm for example 49 people were being treated in the 71-capacity ED but there were 21 people who had been treated and were waiting for beds including four waiting more than 24 hours.
The survey found 68.6 per cent of respondents believe the RAH simply cannot cope with demand.
This was the conclusion of a majority across all age groups and demographics and was particularly strong among women where almost three-quarters felt the 800-bed hospital was not handling demand.
Since the survey, unions have warned of industrial action with SA Salaried Medical Officers Association’s Bernadette Mulholland saying her members were “working in crisis conditions on a 24/7 basis”.
Nurses’ union chief Elizabeth Dabars says her members are “at breaking point” while the ambulance union’s Phil Palmer has flagged action due to chronic ramping.
The RAH is costing around $1 million a day under the 35-year contract with private operator Celsus to finance, build, maintain and provide non-medical services such as catering, cleaning and security.
However, public doubt about whether it, and the rest of the health system, is dealing with demand has won support for even more spending.
Just over half (52.5 per cent) of respondents said they would be prepared to pay more taxes to improve the health system – up from 43 per cent last year.
Support for more spending was strongest among young people with more than three-quarters of the under 25s in favour and 55.9 per cent of the 24-34 age group.
It fell below majority support in the 35-to-64 groups, rising to 53.6 per cent support among over 65s.
Country, city united over rural health divide
COUNTRY and city folk agree there is a gap in rural health services.
An overwhelming 92.1 per cent of respondents felt regional SA is not well equipped with doctors and medical services.
The feeling that country residents were being forgotten was shared by 91.3 per cent of Adelaide respondents and 95.9 per cent of rural respondents.
The Liberals went to the State election promising a $7 million upgrade for Murray Bridge Hospital plus $20 million for rural health, when then-Opposition Leader Steven Marshall warned there was a “dangerous shortage of health practitioners with advanced skills” in regional areas.
The plan includes doubling the number of medical interns in the country.
No faith in vapes as public opposes legalisation
AFTER her partner died from smoking induced lung cancer in 2010, Margie Harding needed to find a way to give up cigarettes.
Her own 35-year habit of smoking 20-30 cigarettes a day was making her angry and sick.
Ms Harding, 54, of Christie Downs, was introduced to e-cigarettes, known as vaping, in 2015 andfinally kicked her addiction.
“It probably took about a month of just smoking one or two cigarettes a day before I completely stopped,” she said.
“I just couldn’t believe it, I’d tried everything. I had tried, patches, Champix and hypnotherapy.
“I feel so much better.”
The battery-operated devices vaporise a refillable cartridge of nicotine solution to create a vapour that the user inhales, simulating the action of smoking.
Some use flavoured liquids without nicotine.
Their use is currently unregulated in SA, but Health Minister Stephen Wade has introduced a bill to State Parliament to regulate the industry with similar restrictions to cigarette sales, including prohibiting sales of e-cigarettes to children, advertising, promotion and retail point of sales displays.
The Sunday Mail Your Say SA survey found 54 per cent of respondents did not want e-cigarettes to be made legal in SA because it may encourage people to take up smoking.
Mr Wade said the survey results indicated a “need to educate people about the risks involved with vaping and smoking tobacco”.
“Maintaining a strong legislative framework for tobacco and e-cigarette control is essential for reducing the harms caused by tobacco smoking and vaping,” he said.
Cancer Council SA manager Alana Sparrow said e-cigarettes had “not been proven safe to use, or as effective aids for quitting smoking”.
She said there was increasing evidence e-cigarettes may expose users to chemicals and toxins including formaldehyde and heavy metals “at levels that have the potential to cause adverse health effects”.
— Jordanna Schriever