SA Pathology

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (14:26): My question is to the Minister for Health. Can the minister confirm that SA Pathology has effectively halved service to the southern Yorke Peninsula? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr ELLIS: I have been advised by constituents that services at Yorketown have been reduced to two days a week, and Minlaton three days, which has caused considerable difficulty for locals accessing testing, and was a strong theme at the recent Yorketown health inquiry hearings in the Town Hall.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:26): I thank the member for Narungga for his question, and I note his very strong interest in health services on the Yorke Peninsula, and also how important SA Pathology collection centres are for people right across the state, particularly in terms of regional areas.

As the member referred to, we run collection centres in both Yorketown and Minlaton on the Yorke Peninsula and they have traditionally been operating five days a week. Over the past few months, there were some changes, particularly between March and April when the Yorketown centre was temporarily closing on Thursday and Friday while they were recruiting for an additional staff member for that centre. I am happy to report some good news in that that staff member has now been recruited and trained and the Yorketown centre is now currently back up and running at full capacity five days a week, I am advised.

Similarly, we are recruiting an additional staff member for the Minlaton centre. While that is currently closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, as soon as we have that recruitment completed, the aim of SA Pathology is to reopen that centre back to five days a week to provide that important service for the constituents of the member's electorate.