THE Upper South East community of Keith has won a lengthy battle to save its community hospital.
Health Minister John Hill last week ended a very public spat when he anounced one-off funding of $350,000 in the 2012-2013 financial year to help attract two full-time doctors.
The government's backflip followed an 18-month fight to save the town's hospital from closure with the community protesting on the steps of parliament, slowing traffic on the Dukes Highway, handing out apples in Rundle Mall and raising widespread media interest in their cause.
In the 2010-11 State Budget, 60 per cent of the hospital's total funding was cut, amounting to $370,000 - all from acute care services.
The decision to throw a lifeline to Keith hospital came soon after the death of a man who was originally seen at Keith & District Hospital, but died at Flinders a few days later after first travelling to Bordertown hospital - to avoid paying $400 a night as a public patient at Keith - because he was not considered an emergency paitient.
The community owned, not-for-profit Keith hospital chief executive officer Bill Hender said the grant would enable the hospital to recruit two full-time general practitioners, rather than using locums, saving it thousands of dollars each month.
"It will not solve all our problems, but it will buy us time to make some of the changes mooted by the board and enable us to become financially viable," he said.
Mr Hender - who stepped into the CEO role only a few months ago - said it was pleasing the hospital now had a strong working relationship with the State Government, Country Health SA and the Rural Doctors Workforce Agency, which was assisting in the recruitment of new doctors and the hospital's future direction.
In negotiations with the government, the hospital was offered two options: to be taken over by the State Government from July 1, or a one-off grant to fund general practitioners while the hospital continued its restructure.
The hospital board opted for the latter, but Mr Hill has confirmed the offer to become a public hospital is open at anytime until the next election.
"We were a bit nervous about how it would affect acute care services so the board made the decision on behalf of the community to continue our current structure," Mr Hender said.
*Full report in Stock Journal, May 24 issue, 2012.
