The latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report into the performance the nation's hospitals has exposed the total mess the former Labor Government made of South Australia's health system.
"Under the former Labor Government, South Australia had the four worst performing emergency departments in the country and five of the 10 worst waiting times for elective surgery at metropolitan hospitals," said Health Minister Stephen Wade.
"Labor's legacy has left South Australians needing emergency treatment or surgical operation waiting longer than their interstate peers.
"This is the final report card on 16 years of Labor mismanagement of our health system.
"This report card is a damning indictment on the former Labor Government.
Whenever Labor criticises the Marshall Government as we work to turn our health system around, this report card stands to condemn them for the state they left our health system in.
Peter Malinauskas and Chris Picton were the Labor health team responsible for this damning report card. They should apologise to the people of South Australia for driving the health system into the ground.
"The report is a sobering account of the challenge ahead.
"The Marshall Government accepts the importance of this report and is commit to delivering improved outcomes.
"What has been done over the past 16 years has not worked and we must do things differently to turn around our health system.
"This report is not a reflection on our hard working clinicians and staff. They work tirelessly everyday to provide high quality health care - but we must do more to empower them and we must devolve the decision making from head office out into our hospitals.
"Over the past eight months I have been actively working to turnaround the mess Labor left in our health system.
"We are reopening the Repat, multi-day surgery has returned to Modbury, 24/7 cardiology has been restored at the Queen Elizabeth and we have opened new mental health beds at the Lyell McEwin.
"We have also dramatically intervened at our central hospitals to try and turn their culture around".
