1
00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:02,400
Speaker 1: What we learned a little earlier in the week is

2
00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:04,680
Speaker 1: that work is set to begin later this year on

3
00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:08,119
Speaker 1: a second entrance to Royal Darwin Hospital as part of

4
00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:11,879
Speaker 1: the Northern Territory government's budget commitments. The announcement came just

5
00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:16,040
Speaker 1: days after yet another crash on Friday evening last week,

6
00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:20,160
Speaker 1: which is understood to temporarily block two lanes to the hospital.

7
00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,680
Speaker 1: It's not the first time that we've spoken about this

8
00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,960
Speaker 1: being an issue. In fact, if you've heard me interviewed

9
00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:29,000
Speaker 1: doctor Robert Parker from the AMA before, you'll know that

10
00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:32,040
Speaker 1: this is an issue that he has raised in the past.

11
00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:34,840
Speaker 1: And doctor Parker joins me on the line right now.

12
00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:38,640
Speaker 1: Good morning to you morning, Dr Parker. You and I

13
00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:41,320
Speaker 1: have spoken on a few occasions in fact about the

14
00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:45,000
Speaker 1: situation with there really only being one entrance to both

15
00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:48,000
Speaker 1: of our well both the private hospital and indeed the

16
00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:48,879
Speaker 1: public hospital.

17
00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:52,519
Speaker 2: Well, it's correct, and I mean it's a very I

18
00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,400
Speaker 2: mean it's a very large part of daw in the

19
00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,720
Speaker 2: hospital in terms of people working, and there's obviously, you know,

20
00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:04,440
Speaker 2: the transport issues every morning are ridiculous to a degree

21
00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,800
Speaker 2: where you know, every morning around from seven till nine

22
00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:10,760
Speaker 2: o'clock and in the afternoon. They's just a massive amount

23
00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:15,039
Speaker 2: of transport using a fairly small defined road into what

24
00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,920
Speaker 2: is one of the biggest employment areas in the Northern Territory.

25
00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:21,000
Speaker 2: So it makes a lot of sense. I mean, the

26
00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:25,000
Speaker 2: accident in December twenty twenty obviously raised the issue of

27
00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:27,560
Speaker 2: if there is a blockage, and I mean that photograph

28
00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:29,520
Speaker 2: I took for the NT News and cars backed up

29
00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,480
Speaker 2: back down Rockland's Drive, and I mean that what I

30
00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:35,319
Speaker 2: didn't include with all the ambulances apparently caught up in

31
00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:37,480
Speaker 2: the traffic thing. So the ambulances are trying to get

32
00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:40,440
Speaker 2: to the hospital, but a block by that one issue

33
00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:42,920
Speaker 2: with the road. So it seems both in terms of

34
00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:45,080
Speaker 2: you know, and obviously the Minister's got plans for the

35
00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,760
Speaker 2: dh campus and the future which will increase traffic flow,

36
00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:52,760
Speaker 2: so it makes it makes good sense to have a

37
00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:56,680
Speaker 2: second entrance, both for to probably improve traffic flow generally

38
00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:00,400
Speaker 2: to the area as well as obviously for emergency to

39
00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,000
Speaker 2: stop the one road blocking issues in an emergency.

40
00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:05,520
Speaker 1: Dr Parker, how long do you reckon you've been calling

41
00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:07,000
Speaker 1: for this second entrance.

42
00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:10,359
Speaker 2: Well, since we've been calling it for a few years.

43
00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,520
Speaker 2: But the issue in twenty twenty really raised the issue

44
00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:17,200
Speaker 2: to quite a significant level when it became absurd that,

45
00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,520
Speaker 2: you know, one traffic issue blocks the entrance to our

46
00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:24,560
Speaker 2: major health resource in the northern territory.

47
00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,520
Speaker 1: Can you talk me through you know, what happens at

48
00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,519
Speaker 1: those very critical times where there is a crash and

49
00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:33,359
Speaker 1: you know the roads are blocked up like that, if

50
00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:37,160
Speaker 1: there are ambulances that have patients that need to get

51
00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,320
Speaker 1: into the hospital quickly, well.

52
00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:42,880
Speaker 2: Unfortunately the ambos I've got to just work to keep

53
00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:45,560
Speaker 2: the patients stable till they can get through the blockage

54
00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:47,919
Speaker 2: to the ED. So there's not much they can really

55
00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:50,200
Speaker 2: do it. There's stuck in traffic, and so it's really

56
00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:52,720
Speaker 2: up to the to THEO said do a really great

57
00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:56,840
Speaker 2: job to make sure that the patients are kept I mean,

58
00:02:56,919 --> 00:02:59,080
Speaker 2: we're very lucky in the territory. I mean, you know

59
00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:01,359
Speaker 2: if we were in Southern States, I mean we've got

60
00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:05,799
Speaker 2: this issue of ramping where quite often you'll get six

61
00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:08,800
Speaker 2: or seven ambulances ramped up to a hospital because a bedlock,

62
00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:12,600
Speaker 2: and so the ambos are off the road keeping those

63
00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,320
Speaker 2: patients alive till they can get to the ED. Luckily,

64
00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:18,919
Speaker 2: we don't have a significant issue with ramping in the territory.

65
00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,400
Speaker 2: But the ambos up here, I think they're very good

66
00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:24,920
Speaker 2: at doing their initial work to stabilize the patient, but

67
00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:27,400
Speaker 2: then obviously keeping the patients able doing transport.

68
00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:33,200
Speaker 1: Have there been situations before where we have had ambulances

69
00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:37,000
Speaker 1: unable to get people into ED I'm aware.

70
00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:41,240
Speaker 2: I think at certain points in previous web seasons when

71
00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:46,400
Speaker 2: that creek floods, vehicles haven't been able to access the hospital.

72
00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:50,080
Speaker 2: You know, it's usually been when it's been incredibly wet

73
00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:53,240
Speaker 2: and the water has come to a very high level

74
00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:55,400
Speaker 2: underneath that reach at the front of the front of

75
00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:58,440
Speaker 2: the hospital. Then I found the ambulances haven't been able

76
00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:01,760
Speaker 2: to access that road. So there had been but it's

77
00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:04,480
Speaker 2: been a rare occurrence. But I think the accident in

78
00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:07,400
Speaker 2: twenty twenty just re really raised the issue of this

79
00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:09,840
Speaker 2: is a very busy therapy now and we need to

80
00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:10,680
Speaker 2: do differently.

81
00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:14,280
Speaker 1: Yeah, spot on. And do you have any idea or

82
00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:16,400
Speaker 1: have they given you any sense of when this duplication

83
00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:18,120
Speaker 1: is expected to be complete.

84
00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:21,080
Speaker 2: Well, at least they're starting with it, and obviously has

85
00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:23,520
Speaker 2: been money done. I mean it's interesting. I mean, there

86
00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,039
Speaker 2: were following the issue I raised in twenty twenty that

87
00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:30,760
Speaker 2: department did a reviewer. There were three options raised. One

88
00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:33,480
Speaker 2: was from Lee Point Road, and I understand there are

89
00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:37,760
Speaker 2: environmental and I suppose resident concerns about a brand new

90
00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:41,760
Speaker 2: road being built from Lee Point Road. It makes sense

91
00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:46,159
Speaker 2: to use the existing corridor, which everyone accepts is the

92
00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:48,800
Speaker 2: road to all Down Hospital. And I mean one side

93
00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:50,640
Speaker 2: of it doesn't have any residents at all, so that

94
00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:54,960
Speaker 2: sort of reduces I suppose the impact on residents. So

95
00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:57,960
Speaker 2: it does make sense to probably do it from Rocclan's Drive,

96
00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,200
Speaker 2: probably doubt further west. I mean the engineers has got these.

97
00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:06,479
Speaker 2: It's actually down west probably the more towards Manbaloo Present. Yeah,

98
00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:08,120
Speaker 2: right where the entrance is.

99
00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:11,960
Speaker 1: And mister Parker, it is doctor Parker. It is part of,

100
00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,239
Speaker 1: you know, a larger investment that the Northern Territory government

101
00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:18,240
Speaker 1: announced earlier this week as part of the pre announcements

102
00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:20,839
Speaker 1: ahead of the budget. They say that they're going to

103
00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:23,960
Speaker 1: be supporting health services across the territory with two billion

104
00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:28,479
Speaker 1: dollars allocated in budget twenty twenty three. I'm not sure

105
00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:30,640
Speaker 1: if you've had much of an opportunity to look through

106
00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:33,000
Speaker 1: the announcement that they've made to see what sort of

107
00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:35,560
Speaker 1: new in that announcement this year.

108
00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,480
Speaker 2: Well, again we're are the major issues. I mean, I

109
00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:42,400
Speaker 2: know the health budget shoos are pretty much a significant

110
00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:45,800
Speaker 2: portion of the NT budget generally. I mean, we're very

111
00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:49,080
Speaker 2: happy with the new Morgue we've been put again that

112
00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,360
Speaker 2: was we've been raising that for a number of years

113
00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:57,000
Speaker 2: with the with the Anti government that the Roydale Hospital

114
00:05:57,279 --> 00:05:59,479
Speaker 2: needs a new mork. I mean, a more usually isn't

115
00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:01,800
Speaker 2: one of the sex your aspects of help development, but

116
00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:05,919
Speaker 2: the lack of a dignified area for people, for Aboriginal

117
00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:09,600
Speaker 2: families to sort of mourn it was a major concern

118
00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:12,599
Speaker 2: for us, and obviously we need a more. So you know,

119
00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:16,040
Speaker 2: the hospital looks after living. They also look to look

120
00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,000
Speaker 2: after these individuals in a way too to make sure

121
00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,400
Speaker 2: they're probably cared for. And it's really good to see

122
00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:24,280
Speaker 2: that that that the department now is developing a more

123
00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:29,440
Speaker 2: that will fit modern modern forensic pathology practice. So that's

124
00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,120
Speaker 2: very happy. We're very happy with that. So, you know,

125
00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:35,800
Speaker 2: there are some good things happening, but again, unfortunately healthy

126
00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:37,800
Speaker 2: is that bottomless back up. I mean, you can put

127
00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:40,760
Speaker 2: you can keep on putting more of money into other Obviously,

128
00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:43,920
Speaker 2: the new War that they're playing to the two bed

129
00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:46,839
Speaker 2: ward will help. It's not, you know, it's not the

130
00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:51,400
Speaker 2: end solution itself. Developing more agecare bids, you know, to

131
00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:53,280
Speaker 2: try and get individuals who need to be an hecare

132
00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:56,320
Speaker 2: rather than the hospital is also a welcome development. So

133
00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:58,440
Speaker 2: I mean, I was, I was, although it's not the

134
00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:01,400
Speaker 2: perfect solution, and I mean there's never there's never any

135
00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:04,039
Speaker 2: perfect solution to health. You we shouldn't be letting the

136
00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:06,200
Speaker 2: good get in the way of the perfect, well and

137
00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:07,120
Speaker 2: you know.

138
00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:08,960
Speaker 1: This is the thing, It's something you and I again

139
00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:12,440
Speaker 1: have discussed on numerous occasions that bed you know, the

140
00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:16,920
Speaker 1: lack of beds at different times, that are overcrowding at

141
00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:20,720
Speaker 1: different times, and that real strain on staff at the hospital,

142
00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:23,760
Speaker 1: who are absolutely incredible, you know, right from the people

143
00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:26,960
Speaker 1: that are cleaning and catering all the way to the doctors,

144
00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,200
Speaker 1: the nurses, those healthcare staff. Everybody does a phenomenal job

145
00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:34,240
Speaker 1: under what can be really difficult circumstances. And we know

146
00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:36,800
Speaker 1: that we really have had a shortage of beds for

147
00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,080
Speaker 1: some time, haven't we.

148
00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:42,440
Speaker 2: Well's right, I mean, And obviously the hospital was built

149
00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:46,320
Speaker 2: for a population where you know, in the design for

150
00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:50,520
Speaker 2: a darn population. Fifty years ago, you know, we had

151
00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:54,480
Speaker 2: pretty much half the population we've got now. And I

152
00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:58,640
Speaker 2: mean Palmerston has healthcare degree. But really, I mean the

153
00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:01,160
Speaker 2: minister is quite correct. We need to really look at

154
00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:04,400
Speaker 2: the future. I mean RBH is an old hospital building

155
00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:08,520
Speaker 2: designed for a population, you know, fifty years of populations

156
00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,720
Speaker 2: like fifty years ago. We're ready to look for the future,

157
00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:17,560
Speaker 2: to have an adequate hospital capacity for modern and future.

158
00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:21,080
Speaker 1: The well doctor Robert Parker, the head of the AMA

159
00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:24,200
Speaker 1: here in the Northern Territory. We always appreciate your time.

160
00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:26,239
Speaker 1: Thank you very much for having a chat with us today.

161
00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:29,480
Speaker 2: Good to talk to you as always, Cody, thank you,