Save RAH

A government radio advertising campaign promoting the new railway hospital was described today as a “shameless waste of South Australian’s hard-earned money”.

Save the RAH Group chairman Jim Katsaros says many South Australians would join him in expressing their disappointment at this kind of waste for what amounted to a political campaign advertisement.

Run-down cancer wards at the Royal Adelaide Hospital are being used by the government to justify building a new railway hospital.

Save the RAH Group chairman Jim Katsaros says that the Cancer Wards on C6 and D6 were in a disgraceful state.

“That has been a raw deal for cancer patients and represented poor planning and poor use of public money,” says Dr Katsaros. “South Australian cancer patients deserve better than this.”

He says there is plenty of space at the RAH to improve conditions for patients, not make them wait for another 10 years.

Nowhere else in the world would a government knock over a hospital to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria says Save the RAH Group Chair James Katsaros.

“It is outrageous that this government expects us to believe a new hospital will somehow fix a problem that faces private and public hospitals around the world.”

Dr Katsaros says that the claim that the proposed private rooms at the railway hospital will help is also a furphy.

“And it doesn’t help when some media and government spokespeople use alarmist words and are allowed to make outrageous statements which go unchallenged.”

The arguments of Dr Chris Cain (Advertiser, 17/3/09) do not ring true.

He shows no interest in discussing one of the central themes of the debate – the cooperative co-location of RAH with academic institutions, the IMVS and the world renowned Hanson Institute.

A meeting of around 200 doctors at the Royal Adelaide Hospital last night called on the state government to immediately abandon plans to relocate the RAH.

The meeting arranged by the Save the RAH Action Group was attended by doctors from across the metropolitan area.

Group Chair Jim Katsaros says the meeting agreed on a motion to ask the government to not close the RAH.

Dr Katsaros says there was a strong response against the government’s relocation plan.

Doctors are being urged to call on the government to not “throw the baby out with the bath water” at a meeting next Monday night to voice concerns at plans to relocate the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

The meeting of doctors has been organised by the Save the RAH Action Group.

Group Chair Jim Katsaros says that the current RAH already has a first class reputation, has been significantly refurbished in the past decade and is co-located with top research and academic institutes.

“Why throw this away and start again?” he adds.

Fellow workers and friends of the Royal Adelaide Hospital. This is an amazing and serious demonstration of what this place means to our community. About 300 people have turned up today and many who could not be here, have sent their good wishes and support. A little example from Mrs Dolless, “I am 88 and my husband 84, we support you and your Committee.” Many of you were disappointed that you didn’t have a chance to be with us three weeks ago, when this campaign erupted. Events moved so quickly that there was no opportunity to do so but now, we must unite and fight for our right to speak.