SA Health pays six doctors more than $1 million year for first time

SA Health has, for the first time, recorded six doctors taking home more than $1 million a year, sparking an immediate political blame-game.

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Six SA Health staff have topped the $1 million-a-year salary mark for the first time in the agency’s history, an Auditor-General’s report shows.

However, The Advertiser understands most are senior medical specialists, who also had either termination payouts or holiday pay added to their financial-year pay.

The report sparked an immediate political fight as the Government blamed past decisions for existing problems and the Opposition demanded action on issues, such as record ramping. Health Minister Stephen Wade said the Government was dealing with “waste that became a hallmark of the previous government” and was redirecting funds towards patient care, security and jobs.

The Opposition swooped on the report to criticise the appointment of consultants KordaMentha to oversee a financial turnaround of the Central Adelaide Local Health Network.

The network was headed towards a $300 million-a-year budget blowout and the consultants have pulled this in by $104 million in its first six months.

But the Opposition highlighted nine points it said heavily criticised the Government’s handling of the issue.

These ranged from the increased cost of the consultancy, and the time frames and processes around the appointment.

Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton said the deal was a boon for KordaMentha — “corporate liquidators being paid $6000 a day but awful news for patients suffering record ramping in our hospital system”.

“ … All the talk before the contract of saving money from waste, has now been replaced by brutal cuts to doctors, nurses and hospital beds.”

The Auditor General’s report noted: “What started as a 12-week, $880,000 urgent consultancy procured through direct negotiation, grew to arrangements in excess of $20 million over 15 months.”

Meanwhile, after two months of record ambulance ramping and EDs operating beyond capacity, officials plan to mothball beds in the hope of a quieter summer season as flu numbers subside, it has emerged.

Action to keep people from clogging EDs includes a variety of home care services, action to get long-term hospital patients ready for discharge into appropriate care, and new Priority Care Centres for people with relatively minor problems.

However, the Opposition said there had been only a small number of people going to the centres and these were restricted to being open during the day.