Cochlear implant review could cause long term ramifications for SA
There will be long term ramifications for the South Australian Government and the Women's and Children's Hospital as a result of cochlear implant review.
Transcript
00:00 As the government has acknowledged, this bungle has had a significant impact on the lives
00:05 of South Australian children and their families.
00:08 And it's not over yet.
00:10 With more independent audio checks on children currently underway, it won't be known for
00:14 months exactly how many of the 208 patients will be found to have mapping issues with
00:19 their implants.
00:20 The government says the initial $50,000 ex gratia payments for affected children won't
00:25 replace a full right to compensation either, which leaves the door open to further action.
00:30 Plus there's the cost of getting the service at the Women's and Children's Hospital up
00:33 to standard.
00:34 A pledge to increase staff levels and resources, as recommended by the review to meet demand,
00:39 won't come cheap with $2 million already allocated.
00:43 But as Premier Peter Malinowski said today, no words and no amount of money could change
00:47 the pain or the frustration families would be feeling in light of what's happened.
00:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]