Royal Adelaide Hospital

The general operating theatre complex at the Royal Adelaide Hospital will be open on Sunday Nov 1 between 1pm and 4pm for anyone to visit - and you don't have to be a patient. The RAH has the biggest and most modern operating theatre complex in the Southern Hemisphere. During the open day it will be staffed by the people who run the theatre complex ... the nurses. They will show visitors the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment that is used every day for hip replacements, hernia repairs or even brain surgery. There are fourteen theatres plus a recovery ward where patients are cared for after they are finished in surgery. One of the most famous patients ever to visit these theatres is Mika Hakkinen who is odds-on favourite to win this year's Formula One World Championship. In the Adelaide Grand Prix in 1995 he had an horrific accident and was revived half a dozen times by the emergency staff and spent weeks recovering. Hakkinen stays in touch with the staff and agreed last year to open the new emergency helicopter landing pad on top of the hospital. It is used about 350 times per year with patients coming from South Australia and parts of New South Wales. A rare chance to see the inner working of a huge hospital is on Sunday Nov 1 1pm - 4pm. signs will be located in the main entrance. It's free Your can visit their website for more details www.rah.sa.gov.au