Goodings: This is an intriguing story… that comes to us from Murray Bridge and Mannum where the hospitals there have these fantastic new helipads that have been completed since April, the only problem is, they’re not being used. For those that aren’t keeping up, it’s the 16th of September, so a bit of time has transpired where you’ve got these new helipads that are there presumably to improve patient safety and recovery and so forth, however, not being used. Adrian Pederick is the Member for Hammond. Adrian what’s the reason as you understand it, why we’ve got these brand spanking new helipads that remain unused?

Well good morning Will and Dave … well that’s the issue I’d like to find out. Minister Picton will not answer when he has requests from us in Question Time or requests from the media as to what is going on with these helipads. We haven't had helicopters come into Murray Bridge since September last year so that’s 12 months of this excellent retrieval service to literally save lives hasn’t operated, they had an issue with the fence heights around these helipads when they were upgraded, that’s all been resolved. They have been fixed for SA Health standards since April yet still we see that MedStar helicopters with their excellent pilots and retrieval team cannot fly into Mannum Hospital or Murray Bridge Hospital to do this vital lifesaving service. It is just ridiculous and Minister Picton needs to explain why this service isn't happening. I mean this is akin to if you need an ambulance in Noarlunga saying oh well Noarlunga ambulances won't come out, well send them from Victor Harbor. That is very much what is happening here, the vital lifesaving service for regional residents in the Murraylands is not happening.

Penberthy: Do you know Adrian are there any other helicopters that have been flying into and out of Murray Bridge like commercial helicopters at the same time?

Well they can come out to the airfield at Pallamana and that’s the alternative site that’s outside of town 15 minutes outside of town and what they operate at Mannum is the Mannum Oval so absolutely helicopters can come in private helicopters, commercial helicopters can come in any time.

Penberthy: So what’s the issue? It doesn’t seem to make any sense.

Well, it makes no sense, it makes no sense. This is vital lifesaving emergency work where you send the MedStar teams out with these excellent crews coming out from Adelaide so that you can literally wheel patients in critical condition straight out of the emergency and straight into the helicopter. … there was a baby that was at very much risk of losing their life managed to make it to Adelaide thankfully. We also had the situation where a constituent had to be stabilised for 14 hours where they could have been put into an air ambulance but they had to be stabilised for 14 hours to go into a land ambulance and it gets much more sillier, the MedStar team have to come out in an ambulance to do the retrieval so it’s locking up ambulances each end of the situation destroying the value of healthcare in the Murraylands and the Health Minister must answer and must fix this. Why are there only four helipads operating out of the 13 that have been upgraded across the state for those vital health services in regional South Australia and two of them at Mannum and Murray Bridge and lets just remember that Murray Bridge is going to grow exponentially over the next 30 or 40 years by at least 50,000 people and yet we can't get this what I deem as a basic health service for the citizens of Murray Bridge, Mannum and surrounding areas.

Penberthy: While we have been chatting … one of our listeners David has texted in saying that apparently Meningie Hospital has a new helipad too but that cannot be used as the lights on the helipad aren't in use and are faulty so there is some questions there that we will be putting to the Health Minister next time we talk to him. Adrian Pederick there the Liberal Member for Hammond thank you …

We had a chat a moment ago with Adrian Pederick about helipads at Murray Bridge and Mannum hospitals that have been constructed since April but haven’t yet been used. It would appear we have a number of decorative helipads around South Australia. Ben of Clare says the Clare Hospital is the same deal. The fences are too high, the surfaces are too slippery, the lights are faulty, so that one doesn’t get used. And then we had David before the break as well who said the Meningie Hospital’s helipad doesn’t get used. So that’s four regional hospitals with helipads that to our knowledge or to our listeners’ knowledge aren’t operational at the moment. That’s extraordinary. Penberthy: There’s another text from Greg saying that apparently there’s an issue with them not complying with CASA regulations. So it might be a situation where – and I’m not trying to make excuses for Chris Picton here … but it might be a situation … where a federal agency, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, has said no, sorry, they’re not up to scratch. Goodings: But it’s a health project, to build - Penberthy: Then it becomes who built the things. Goodings: … We’ll try and get some answers.