00:00South Australia's doctor and nurses unions have gone to the employment tribunal in a
00:06bid to stop the infectious diseases unit from being moved out of the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
00:11This unit cares for patients with conditions such as hepatitis and HIV and helped steer
00:17the state through the COVID pandemic.
00:19The state government is planning to move the unit across the road by the end of next month
00:24and the tribunal's been told that's because there isn't enough space inside the Royal
00:28Adelaide Hospital to fit all public health services.
00:31The government previously subleased a space inside the hospital from a private health
00:35consortium but it decided not to renew the contract with a local health network director
00:40telling the tribunal that cost was the main driver.
00:44While the government claims no final decision has been reached on where the unit will go,
00:49doctors and nurses say a move out of the hospital could compromise patient care.
00:53A lawyer representing the government has described the challenge of trying to fit all
01:12health services within the hospital as an enormous Tetris puzzle.
01:16The tribunal is expected to hand down a decision next week.
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