Strathalbyn emergency department closed due to Covid-19 pandemic still out of action

A town’s “vital” emergency department closed at the start of Covid-19 pandemic has not reopened. Now GPs are too busy to restore the services. 

A “vital” regional emergency department closed at the start of Covid-19 pandemic has not reopened and local GPs are too busy to restore the services and provide emergency medical coverage.

Member for Hammond Adrian Pederick has called on the state government to re-open the emergency department at the Strathalbyn and District Health Service, three years after it closed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Pederick said the former Liberal government made the decision to close the emergency department at the height of Covid-19 to “protect the aged care residents that are co-located at the facility”.

Member for Hammond, Adrian Pederick is calling on the state government to re-open the emergency department at the Strathalbyn & District Health Service three years after its closure during the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, Mr Pederick said there was no reason for the emergency department to remain closed now that the pandemic has passed and launched a petition requesting the government” immediately re-open the emergency department to its pre-Covid operating hours and provide the necessary workforce to operate the facility”.

“We never intended for the facility to remain closed, but it is now a decision that is in the hands of the Premier and Minister Picton,” Mr Pederick said.

However, Health Minister Chris Picton hit back at the opposition and said the Strathalbyn ED remained closed for 723 days under the former government.

“When the Liberals lost the election two years later, they still had not restored vital after-hours urgent healthcare services for the Strathalbyn community and surrounds,” he said.

“When the Malinauskas Labor government was elected last year, it was clear that there was no plan being developed under the Liberals to re-establish urgent care services in Strathalbyn.”

Mr Picton said local doctors were too busy to return to staffing the emergency department.

“The local GPs who previously staffed the facility have indicated their practices are too busy to manage their local clinic while also providing medical coverage to the ED,” he said.

“This challenge is being faced in countless regional facilities across Australia due to the chronic under-investment into primary health care by Federal Liberal governments.

Mr Picton said a working group had been established and was “considering practical models of care to restore urgent care services to Strathalbyn” and met on March 16.
“We took an ambitious agenda of health reform for the Adelaide Hills to the election, and are now well underway in rolling that agenda out,” Mr Picton said.

“We recently opened the new Strathalbyn ambulance station and will be adding 12 paramedics for an additional emergency crew set to come online in 2025, as part of the Malinauskas Labor Government’s commitment to hire 350 more ambos and build 11 new stations across the state.”

However, Mr Pederick said it was now time to get the ED opened and has distributed the petition at Strathalbyn businesses.

“Peter Malinauskas told us he would deliver 100 more doctors and 300 more nurses, so he needs to put his money where his mouth is and deliver on this pledge starting with Strathalbyn,” Mr Pederick said.