JOBS at Berri’s SA Pathology lab appear to be safe for now after the State Government announced last week the service would remain in public ownership.
The future of the agency was in doubt 12 months ago, when the Government gave it an ultimatum to cut spending or face privatisation.
However, a “world-class” COVID-19 testing service and significant cost reductions have led to SA Pathology remaining in public hands.
Member for Chaffey Tim Whetstone said the decision would be “welcome news” for the Riverland.
“SA Pathology has proven to be the unsung hero throughout the COVID-19 crisis and critical in slowing the spread across the state,” he said.
“The agency has led the fight and led the world in terms of testing per capita.
“The SA Pathology lab in Berri is widely utilised by the community across the region and provides a vital service to the Riverland.
“Keeping the agency in public ownership will be welcome news for our community and we can expect to see continued access to quality health care and services close to home.”
Premier Steven Marshall said the service had “stepped up to the plate” with its COVID-19 testing capabilities that have “reduced the spread of the virus and saved lives”.
“On coming in to Government, we set SA Pathology the task of delivering high-quality pathology services that represented good value for the people of South Australia,” he said.
“I’m pleased to say they have delivered in spades.”
The service has met its cost reduction goal of $7.3 million over the 2019-20 fiscal year, however further budget cuts of $18.3 million for 2020-21 and $34.8 million for 2021-22 still pose a threat to jobs.
Opposition leader Peter Malinauskas welcomed the decision to back away from privatisation, but called on the Government to abandon future SA Pathology cost cutting.
“(The Government’s) privatisation backdown is a win for the hard-working pathologists, scientists, technicians and nurses in SA Pathology who have worked so hard to help South Australia stop the spread of COVID-19,” he said.
“We’re now calling on the Government to abandon its future cuts to this vital service – allowing SA Pathology to continue their important work and keep saving lives.”
Minster for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade said he had “no doubt” a renewal of SA Pathology and leadership changes positioned the service to effectively respond to the emergence of COVID-19.
“Twelve months ago, the State Government gave SA Pathology a year to demonstrate that it could provide the high-quality services South Australians needed at a cost commensurate with that of the rest of the nation,” he said.
“SA Pathology has met each of the markers put in place by the State Government and is now delivering exceptional value for money to South Australian taxpayers.”