The Malinauskas Labor government has unveiled a $13 million election commitment to build a new medical school training centre in Mount Gambier – promising a stronger “pipeline of doctors” for regional South Australia.

But of the 12 intern doctors recruited this year to the Limestone Coast Local Health Network (LCLHN), only three are based in Naracoorte – a town formally designated as a major service centre under the government’s ambitious Limestone Coast Regional Plan 2026.

That figure was revealed to The [Naracoorte] News following a detailed list of questions sent to Health minister Chris Picton regarding Labor’s February 11 media release titled “Labor’s plan to deliver a pipeline of doctors for regional SA.”

While the government celebrates record recruitment numbers statewide – including 343 new interns across South Australia and 42 across regional Local Health Networks – Naracoorte’s share amounts to just a quarter of the Limestone Coast intake.

Three interns – but not at the hospital

LCLHN chief executive officer Emma Poland confirmed to this newspaper that “in 2026, three interns are based in Naracoorte and under the supervision of general practitioners (GPs) at Kincraig Medical Clinic”.

When asked which clinical areas they were covering, and for how much time they were rostered on-site at Naracoorte Hospital, Ms Poland said:

“While primarily based at the Kincraig Medical Clinic, the interns may attend the Naracoorte Health Service at times to accompany their supervising GP”.

In other words, Naracoorte Hospital does not have three full-time hospital-based interns embedded in its wards or emergency department – they are clinic-based and attend the hospital “at times.”

“Staffed appropriately” – but still travelling

On whether Naracoorte Hospital meets SA Health’s minimum doctor-staffing benchmarks, Ms Poland responded that the Naracoorte Hospital “is staffed appropriately to provide safe and effective care.”

She added “there are no vacancies”.

Naracoorte residents do have access to a range of specialist services locally – including orthopaedics, urology, general surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics, anaesthetics, plastics, cardiology, breast and endocrine, colorectal, and gastroenterology. However, many of these services rely on visiting specialists, locums, and GP anaesthetists and obstetricians. And critically, residents must still travel to Mount Gambier for a number of key services.

According to the LCLHN, patients currently access the following in Mount Gambier:

• Oncology
• Haematology
• Ear, nose and throat (ENT)
• Nephrology
• Respiratory and sleep medicine
• Ophthalmology
• Maxillofacial
• Endocrine services

Ms Poland said “the Limestone Coast Local Health Network continues to plan for the implementation of its whole-of-region Clinical Services Plan 2025-2035”.

“The LCLHN strives to provide services as close to home as possible for people in the Limestone Coast.”

But for many, including the aged and the fragile, in Naracoorte, the question remains for how long will people continue to travel to Mount Gambier for specialised care?

$13 million for Mount Gambier

Labor’s election commitment centres squarely on Mount Gambier. The government claims it will partner with Flinders University to build a new training facility next to the Mount Gambier Hospital, doubling student capacity from 60 to 120 per year under the South Australian Rural Medical (SARM) Program.

State and commonwealth funding combined represents a $32.7 million investment into rural medical training.

But when asked how many medical students or interns from the new Mount Gambier training centre would be formally allocated to Naracoorte each year, the response was less specific.

“The Limestone Coast Local Health Network (LCLHN) will work collaboratively with Flinders University to support the placement of medical students and interns across its health services, including Naracoorte,” Ms Poland said.

Currently, she said, there are “two medical students undertaking their placements at Kincraig Medical Clinic one in the first semester and another in the second.”

There was no firm commitment on a guaranteed annual allocation of interns to Naracoorte under the $13 million plan.

Opposition: “The state needs trained doctors today”

Shadow minister for Health and Wellbeing Heidi Girolamo said the government’s announcement failed to address the immediate pressures facing regional communities.

“This is another vague, long-term promise from a Labor government that wants to ignore the health crisis we are facing right now,” Ms Girolamo said.

She said regional South Australians could not afford to wait for future pipelines while facing present shortages.

“The state needs trained doctors today, not in 10 years’ time.”

Ms Girolamo claimed the state Liberals had put forward an alternative plan. “The state Liberals have a $173 million plan to build a better health system, which includes incentives to attract interstate and international GPs who (are) already trained and ready to go.”

Major service centre what does that mean for health?

Naracoorte is formally designated as a major service centre under the Limestone Coast Regional Plan 2026 a status intended to reflect its role as a key population and service hub for surrounding districts.

When asked what concrete health service expansions or infrastructure upgrades are planned to reflect that status, Ms Poland said “the Naracoorte Health Service plays an important role within the Limestone Coast Local Health Network (LCLHN).”

She confirmed stage one upgrades were nearing completion and that consultants were being appointed to update the Naracoorte Health Service Infrastructure Master Plan.

“The updated master plan will be informed by the LCLHN Clinical Service Plan 2025-2035 and the LCLHN Aged Care Plan, ensuring that future infrastructure aligns with projected service demand, models of care, and the evolving needs of the community.”

No specific new specialist services, doctor numbers, or infrastructure commitments were detailed.

Promise versus reality

The government claims intern numbers in regional South Australia have more than tripled since 2021.

In a statement, it claimed it had recruited more than 600 doctors statewide and increased regional health operating budgets by 40 per cent in four years.

This article appeared in The Naracoorte News, 25 February 2026.