Upgrade could be a turning point

ONLINE NEWS
EYRE PENINSULA ADVOCATE
THURSDAY, 06 APRIL 2023

SUBJECTS: Kimba Doctor

Mayor Dean Johnson declared Kimba people were stubborn and prepared to fight for their rights and services at the official opening of the upgraded Cr Leo J Schaefer Memorial Health Centre on Monday.

The dire doctor shortage prompted Kimba District Council to undertake a $2 million refurbishment of the medical centre to improve the community’s chances of attracting a GP.

But Mr Johnson pointed out that health services were not the responsibility of councils. “Our council has further contributed around $2 million over the past few years to health,” Mr Johnson said.

“Not bad for a small rural council with around a $4.5M annual budget. But it can’t continue.”

Efforts to attract a doctor have included offering the house of the council’s chief executive officer for the use of a doctor, plus another two-bedroom unit as a possible second doctor’s home.

“Further we even had locals become movie stars selling the benefi ts of our town and our community to the doctors of Australia in the “That’s our Kimba” video campaign,” Mr Johnson said.

“We received national and international coverage through Sunrise, Sky News, ABC 24 and many more, with the video shared across socials by any and all health agencies we could find and twist their arms.

The support and coverage we received was amazing and I thank everyone who helped us get our message out.”

He is hopeful that Kimba will gain an overseas’ doctor in July or August this year as part of the campaign. “Make no mistake these spends are not in local governments purview, remit or responsibility,” Mr Johnson said.

“Primary health is categorically a federal government responsibility and for too long it has not been delivered to the northern Eyre peninsula.

Kimba, Cowell, Wudinna, Elliston, Streaky Bay, Cleve, Cummins, even Port Lincoln, Ceduna, Whyalla and Port Augusta have had shortages or prolonged absences of service for too long. “It must be fixed.

Many other communities like Cummins are one retirement or illness away from the same dire situation.” Mr Johnson said he hoped the opening of the upgraded medical centre would prove to be a turning point in the district’s battle to attract permanent doctors.

“It’s fair to say I’m a fairly optimistic guy, but if there is one thing that keeps me awake at night it’s our ongoing battle to ensure an ongoing sustainable, reliable, professional, sympathetic and empathetic health service for our most important asset - our amazing people,” he said.

“I hope today is a watershed moment when the conversation changes and we finally get respect and we’re given some modest resourcing to begin the journey to fixing and repairing the system to deliver first rate health services, delivered in a first class modern medical centre to a first class community that I love.

“Our struggles to attract and retain medical professionals to our town is well documented and, as we predicted, the workforce shortage has spread across our region, throughout our state and now right across the nation.

“Rural communities find themselves in the same position as us and now with metropolitan residents beginning to be affected it’s suddenly recognised as a crisis. Go figure.

“ South Australian Labor Senator Karen Grogan officially opened the centre on behalf of Federal Health Minister Mark Butler. Ms Grogan said Mr Johnson was a wonderful advocate of the region and explored all options in attempting to solve the community’s lack of doctors.

“He does you proud as a community because he doesn’t take no for an answer - he doesn’t take a closed door to be closed,” she said.

The new centre together with community support “should be able to deliver some significant changes to how health care is delivered on the Eyre Peninsula”.

“What we have seen over a number of years is a decline in services around the regional areas,” she said.

“We started off seeing it in rural and remote areas and now it’s creeping closer into the metropolitan areas.

We have to stop the decline.” Ms Grogan attended a health roundtable in Kimba prior to the opening and said the first step in repairing the situation would receive funding in the Federal Budget.