Elsie Adamo
KEITH Hospital may receive a $9.75 million boost in funding, if Labor is elected in the upcoming State election.
The funding was announced by Labor leader Peter Malinauskas in a visit to the Limestone Coast last week, and will be part of a pledged $52.7 million investment in the region’s health facilities.
Keith and District Hospital is community run, and not part of the larger Limestone Coast Local Health Network, which has resulted in direct negotiations with the State government for funding.
Mr Malinauskas said $1.5 million per annum over seven years would be committed to provide certainty to those running the facility.
“This is an issue that has been around for over a decade,” he said.
“The can gets kicked down the road, every 12 months or so the Keith Hospital Board have to sing for their supper and the whole saga starts over again.
“That is a drain on the governance of the hospital; rather than focusing on service delivery they are end up having to focus on bidding for more money out of Adelaide.
“I am a new leader, leading a new team, with a new policy,” Mr Malinauskas said in response to question about the previous Labor Government not committing to ongoing funding for Keith Hospital.
“I was frustrated that this issue was never resolved in a more wholesome manner, but now I am the leader so I get to choose.
“I wish the former Labor government had done it, I wish the current Liberal government had done it.”
Mr Malinauskas said he had spoken with two Limestone Coast MPs, Troy Bell and Nick McBride, about Labor’s health plan for the region.
“They have certainly welcomed this investment,” he said.
“I think both Troy and Nick are committed community members within the South East, they are the sort of blokes who just want the best for their local community.”
However, Health Minister Stephen Wade was critical of Labor’s health plan for the region.
“You only need to look back at recent history to see which party was delivering more for regions,” he said.
“In 2008, Labor tried to downgrade, even close, dozens of hospitals in country South Australia.
“The Marshall Liberal Government has already committed more than $200 million to regional health infrastructure.
“By contrast, the Marshall Government is investing in regional health right now and we are getting on with reducing ramping, easing pressure on our hospitals and delivering quality health care for South Australians, closer to home.”
Mr Wade did not provide any comment on the Liberal government’s plan for the Keith Hospital going into the future.
