EMBARGOED TO 6AM 10 December 2009
The issue of death and dying is difficult enough without clouding it with suggestions that the
government is selling us down the drain by linking the purchase of Calvary Hospital with the sale
of Claire Holland House, according to the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA).
"ACT citizens should ignore these unsubstantiated allegations and look at the facts. The ACT is a
small jurisdiction with a population base half the size of an area health service in NSW or an area
network in Victoria," Ms Prue Power, AHHA Executive Director, said today.
"Our regional population, including the surrounding districts of the ACT, brings that population
base up to a comparable health system in our surrounding jurisdictions. We cannot afford to run
two separate hospital systems. So the purchase of Calvary makes perfect sense, and one that
the community seems to endorse. Such a purchase enables the Little Company of Mary (LCM) to
build up its private health component as well as any other infrastructure requirements it has.
"The more problematic issue for some, but not all, of the community is the sale of the hospice
and the fact that the sale is linked to the government’s purchase of Calvary. However, this
linkage should be supported by the community. The LCM has a proven track record of providing
outstanding palliative care services, not just in the ACT but also in other jurisdictions. It is what
they are best at. It is worth emphasising that they are doing this right now, each day, at Claire
Holland House. They have done this without imposing any religious requirements on inpatients
and their families whether they are the Catholic faith or not.
"The hospice will continue to be conducted as a public facility which will include a contract with
the government for the delivery of palliative care services. There will be just two differences if
the sale goes ahead: One: that the name on the title deed will change, and two: that the LCM
will have money to build up the service further, complementing that already provided by
government. The opportunity for the latter improvement cancels out any trivial concern about
the ownership of the land.
"It is a furphy to suggest that a private operator is being introduced into our jurisdiction. LCM
has been working publicly in the ACT since the 1970s, and again the hospice will be conducted as
a public facility with a contract between the LCMs and the government.
"Public health policy issues such as the unlikely introduction of legalised euthanasia should not
prevent this sale. The concept of euthanasia is that patients die with dignity at home, and not in
a hospice. It is trite to suggest that this is also a reason to prevent the sale.
"The sale of Claire Holland House will enhance our partnership with an organisation that has
outstanding credibility in providing public palliative care services. It is good health policy and in
the interests of all who live in the ACT region,” Ms Power said.
For further information/comment:
Ms Prue Power 0417 419 857
SAVE OUR HOSPICE AND
OUR HEALTH SYSTEM
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