25 February 2026
As physicians in South Australia are working at full capacity and are at risk of burnout, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) is urging all parties to prioritise the healthcare of South Australians and grow a world-class healthcare workforce.
Associate Professor Andrew Lee, Chair of the RACP SA committee, says the RACP is eager to work with the incoming government to address issues that impact people’s ability to access quality healthcare.
“South Australian doctors need to be safe and supported, but right now, they are operating in an unsustainable work environment that will fail them if we don’t grow our workforce.
“If we are going to continue to provide world-class healthcare for South Australians, we need our doctors to have the time and capacity to continue their learning and training, while treating patients with increasingly complex needs – and everyone will benefit.
“We also know that families across the state are struggling with unacceptably long waitlists, which has long-term impacts on people’s health, especially for disadvantaged groups.
“If we don’t address these challenges now, we will likely see higher rates of preventable disease and health conditions among patients, and higher rates of burnout among doctors.
“The RACP is ready to take on these challenges to improve our healthcare system, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas across the state.
“We need to make South Australia a flagship location for medical training and a destination of choice for overseas trained physicians.
“We need to look holistically at what will draw the health workforce to the country towns that are crying out for them – ensuring they have practical supports like childcare and rental affordability.
“Eliminating short-term employment contracts for trainee physicians will give them and their communities the stability they need.
“The incoming South Australian government also needs to fund and support specialist clinics in rural, regional and remote South Australia and do so in a way that supports specialists and brings them to areas that need them the most.
“There should be a broader integration of collaborative care models, where physicians, general practitioners and allied health professionals all work together to ensure quality and timely care.
Along with 9 other specialist colleges, the RACP has previously called for a thorough statewide analysis to map the gaps in the medical workforce.
Now we need a commitment that the incoming SA government will work with us to develop a fully-funded statewide medical workforce strategy to overcome current workforce challenges and prevent any future shortages from happening.
“South Australians should be able to access the healthcare they need, when they need it, no matter where they live – it’s up to the incoming government to work with us to make that happen,” says Associate Professor Lee.
You can read the full SA Election Statement here: https://www.racp.edu.au/docs/default-source/advocacy-library/2026-sa-racp-election-statement.pdf