The Rural Doctors Association has joined calls for more funding and medical staff for Wallaroo hospital.

RDA South Australia president Dr Bill Geyer said there were two major issues affecting the hospital.

“Port Pirie seems to be favoured over Wallaroo Hospital, despite Wallaroo growing and Port Pirie shrinking,” Dr Geyer said.

Dr Geyer said local doctors at Wallaroo were no longer working in the emergency department or in wards, and locums that visited the hospital were of “variable quality.”

“They (locums) have no commitment to improving services in  the hospital and they have no ties  or connections with the local community,” he said.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners chairperson Dr Sian Goodson said lack of access to health services was unfortunately a common issue in Australian rural communities.

She said the Yorke Peninsula Country Times article ‘Living on the road with cancer’, published on July 30, particularly stood out.

The article told the story of Wallaroo resident, Sheena Sullivan, who had to live in a backyard caravan in Adelaide to have cancer treatment.

“No one should have to live away from home in a caravan to get cancer treatment,” Dr Goodson said.

“It’s clear with an aging, growing population and a hospital that’s apparently already under a lot of pressure, YP needs investment in health locally.” 

Dr Goodson said outside of cities, GPs and rural generalists provided vital support in both preventive and emergency medicine.

“The SA Government should ensure YP general practices have the support they need to serve their communities,” Dr Goodson said.

She said there was a divide across Australia in the healthcare services offered in metropolitan areas compared with regional areas.

“Each person in rural Australia is missing out on nearly $850 a year in healthcare spending, on average, and nationally there’s a total annual rural health spending deficit of about $6.5 billion,” she said.

Dr Goodson said although the Royal Flying Doctor Service, regularly used by YP patients to access further care in Adelaide, was an excellent service, communities needed GPs on the ground to stay viable.

Australian Medical Association president Dr John Williams said YP patients who had to travel to Adelaide were spending more of their own money to travel for healthcare compared to metropolitan patients.

“It is a really cost ineffective way, it’s not money well spent if people have to travel,” Dr Williams said.

“It’s a cost to the community as well as time away from family, time away from work; all costs that add up.” 

Dr Williams said he did not believe SA Health was fully aware of the impact travelling for medical care had on community and individuals.

“Just an appointment seems so simple if you are in the city,” Dr Williams said.

“When going to the hospital (in a city), your main problem is finding a carpark — but if you have to drive for three or four hours or have to get a flight if you’re more remote, it’s a huge cost for the patients and is often a day out of their life rather than an afternoon or a couple of hours.” 

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This article appeared in the  Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 20 August 2024.