The South Australian Government has backed down from its plan to outsource outpatient radiology services at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, saying private providers were not able to offer the range of services needed.
Health workers had protested against the plan, including taking industrial action, saying they did not want to see community health services privatised.
They raised concerns, particularly around the reduction in training opportunities for new radiologists.
Health Minister Peter Malinauskas has now conceded their concerns were warranted, telling Parliament there were not enough training positions in the submissions from private providers.
"None of the submissions would deliver the full suite of radiology services outlined in the specification document, including the vital role of training and supervising radiology registrars at no additional cost to SA Health," Mr Malinauskas said.
Mr Malinauskas said radiologists who work at the hospital had also put in a submission, setting out the case for keeping the service in-house.
"SA Health has been in close discussions with the radiologists and is confident that their submission represents the optimal model for delivering this service," he said.
Mr Malinauskas said that, as a result, outpatient medical imaging at the new Royal Adelaide would expand to nearly double.
That will include 50,000 exams — such as X-rays, CT scans and MRIs — per year.
Last year, the entire radiology service at the Lyell McEwin Hospital was outsourced to a private firm.
