Ms ANDERSON - 2005-08-25
The Martin Labor government promised to establish a hospice in Darwin to care for Territorians with terminal illnesses. Could you please advise the House on the fulfilment on this important election commitment?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Macdonnell for her question. It is always good to report on yet another of our election promises from the election before last that we have delivered to Territorians as promised. This is a $4.25m commitment. Despite the strenuous efforts of the now Leader of the Opposition to claim otherwise, it includes the total fit-out of the hospice. Those people going to the opening tomorrow will see a fully fitted-out facility. It has curtains, beds, chairs, all of the equipment needed for the provision of this very important and sensitive area of care. There is $1.8m recurrent funding to maintain the operations of the hospice year by year.
I pay tribute to the fantastic work done by PTM Homes, a local company which received the tender to construct the building on 15 September. They have delivered us a high quality facility in which to operate that hospice in. It has 12 ground- level individual rooms, each with their own ensuite. The design is planned for the tropics, with individual climate control and access to a deck area from each room overlooking a garden, which will allow patients and their relatives to spend time together. The site of the hospice is quiet and discreetly placed away from the main hospital areas, which I believe will be a very appropriate area in which to operate these services.
It is certainly part, but not all, of our Palliative Care Strategy, which we recently launched as a Territory-wide palliative care plan. We will continue to work on the expansion of palliative care services throughout the Northern Territory appropriate to the clients in each of the parts of the community. I am looking forward, with the Chief Minister, to going there tomorrow to bring home yet another of our election promises.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Macdonnell for her question. It is always good to report on yet another of our election promises from the election before last that we have delivered to Territorians as promised. This is a $4.25m commitment. Despite the strenuous efforts of the now Leader of the Opposition to claim otherwise, it includes the total fit-out of the hospice. Those people going to the opening tomorrow will see a fully fitted-out facility. It has curtains, beds, chairs, all of the equipment needed for the provision of this very important and sensitive area of care. There is $1.8m recurrent funding to maintain the operations of the hospice year by year.
I pay tribute to the fantastic work done by PTM Homes, a local company which received the tender to construct the building on 15 September. They have delivered us a high quality facility in which to operate that hospice in. It has 12 ground- level individual rooms, each with their own ensuite. The design is planned for the tropics, with individual climate control and access to a deck area from each room overlooking a garden, which will allow patients and their relatives to spend time together. The site of the hospice is quiet and discreetly placed away from the main hospital areas, which I believe will be a very appropriate area in which to operate these services.
It is certainly part, but not all, of our Palliative Care Strategy, which we recently launched as a Territory-wide palliative care plan. We will continue to work on the expansion of palliative care services throughout the Northern Territory appropriate to the clients in each of the parts of the community. I am looking forward, with the Chief Minister, to going there tomorrow to bring home yet another of our election promises.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016