Country Health Services

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (14:46): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Health and Wellbeing a question about regional health care.

Leave granted.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As published in the Yorke Peninsula Country Times on 6 November 2018, the member for Narungga said:

Mr Ellis said he had spoken with the state Minister for Health Stephen Wade, arguing there must be a more cost-effective, permanent and patient-friendly option than full-time locum staffing.

The local Kadina GPs were also quoted as saying:

What it does mean is CHSA [Country Health SA] is now forced to take over entirely the servicing of the Wallaroo Hospital ED an outcome that is expensive and, additionally, not ideal for patients who will be treated by a revolving door of…locums.

My question to the minister is: do you still stand by your comments made yesterday that the Marshall Liberal government will continue to give a high priority to the needs of South Australians who live in country areas when not even a regional Liberal member of parliament or regional health providers agree with you?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:48): I thank the honourable member for her question. I always appreciate Dorothy Dixers. The honourable member rightly highlights that I was able to outline to the council the neglect of the former Labor government in relation to capital works in country areas, and I thank her for the opportunity to highlight the neglect of the former Labor government in relation to the rural health workforce.

The Marshall Liberal team, in opposition, realised the dire straits of the rural health workforce in South Australia and that's why we committed to a $20 million rural health workforce strategy over four years. In January, the first instalment of that investment was announced. It dealt with $840,000 to deliver direct support for clinicians through an expanded digital telehealth network; $200,000 for country clinicians in relation to simulation and training equipment; $180,000 for mental health education for suicide prevention and patient management; $370,000 to improve services for long-term, high-quality maternity care; $260,000 for further specialised training for allied health professionals; and $140,000 to provide additional training and career opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals.

In terms of the rural health workforce strategy, the steering committee that we formed to assess the various options brought forward established a project team to develop long-term plans in relation to sustainable medical models. The honourable member is absolutely correct to say that a locum-based service is much more expensive than GP services. That's why it's so important we maintain GP services. The challenge is to make sure that we match the lifestyle needs of our GPs with the demands of country hospitals, and we are continuing to look at sustainable models going forward.

In terms of medical interns, we have more than doubled the number of medical interns in country South Australia, going from five to 12. In January 2019, just recently, seven interns commenced duties at Mount Gambier and five at Whyalla. We are very keen, through the rural health workforce strategy and in working with the commonwealth, to explore the opportunities for developing the rural generalist pathways. Under the guidance of Dr Hendrika Meyer from Country Health SA, the steering committee is looking at opportunities in that regard.