Labor leader Peter Malinauskas announces $52.7m election promise to invest in Limestone Coast health

It’s not just Naracoorte – the state opposition has now made big election pledges to upgrade several regional hospitals.

Labor Leader Peter Malinauskas says South Australians can “choose” whether to back either a $52.7m rural health spend or the government’s $622m Riverbank Arena.

If elected, Labor promises a $24m Mount Gambier Hospital upgrade, a $8m Naracoorte Hospital and Community Health Service redevelopment, a seven-year, $9.5m commitment to the Keith Hospital, $3.5m for community drug and alcohol services and $7.4m to fund 24 additional paramedics for the region.

It says the extra ambulance officers would be in place by July 2024 with a 24/7 crew located in Mount Gambier plus 12-hour regional transfer crews in Mount Gambier and Keith.

Paramedic Cody Scholes welcomes Labor's election promise saying the lack of resources is "crippling". Picture: Arj Ganesan

South East ambulance officer Cody Scholes said additional crews were “overdue”, arguing the under resourcing of the service was having a “crippling” effect on paramedics moral.

The $24m Mount Gambier Hospital investment would include an $8m emergency department redevelopment, $11.4m on six new mental health unit beds and $4.6m for two drug and alcohol detox beds.

A $3.5m commitment towards four new community drug and alcohol beds in the regional city would prevent patients “getting bogged down in the ED”, Labor says.

Substance Misuse Limestone Coast project officer Sophie Bourchier said the Limestone Coast desperately needed more services.

Ms Bourchier said the shortage had a ripple effect for the whole community.

“Services must be there when people are ready to get the help they need,” she said.

Mr Malinauskas said the privately run Keith Hospital has faced “years of uncertainty” with its board having to “sing for their supper” every 12 months.

By committing $750,000 in 2023 and $1.5m in the following six financial years Mr Malinauskas wanted to end “perennial” funding issues.

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“I wish that the former Labor government had done and I wish the current Liberal government had done it,” Mr Malinauskas said.

Liberal MacKillop MP Nick McBride, who last year considered defecting from the Liberals, has thrown his support behind further rehabilitation service spending saying the upgrade to the Naracoorte Hospital was “overdue” and a “step in the right direction”.

Last year the Naracoorte community was left with an unmanned ED on multiple occasions, leaving ambulance crews tied up for three hours while transferring patients.

Mr McBride said improved services would be “well utilised” by a region “crying out for investment”.

Liberal MP Nick McBride backs Labors multimillion dollar spend into regional health. Picture: Tom Huntley

Meantime local, state and federal politicians in the Adelaide Hills have also called for a new hospital to be built in Mount Barker.

Federal Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie labelled the planned Mount Barker Hospital upgrade as a “stopgap”.

Mount Barker Mayor Ann Ferguson said the “booming” Hills population justified construction of a new hospital in Mount Barker.

Former Liberal MP and state member for Kavel, Dan Cregan, called on the state government to “scrap” its arena project and invest the money in health to “take pressure off the whole network, including locally in the Hills”.

Health Minister Stephen Wade dismissed Labor’s promises as “spin” to make people forget its 2008 health funding cuts.

“We are outspending Labor on regional health by five to one … the Marshall Liberal government has already committed more than $200m to regional health infrastructure. In short, Labor is promising less than half of this investment,” Mr Wade said.

Mr Wade has been critical of Labor’s characterisation of the River Bank Arena project as just a basketball stadium.

Labor has previously committed to a $100m boost to regional health.

The Liberals would spend only $79m on the arena over the next four years if they are re-elected. Most of the $662m cost would be spent after that, with the arena to open in 2027-8.

Mr Wade previously said Labor’s assertion it could “divert significant funds (from the arena) into a quick fix for health” was “complete and utter nonsense”.