While clinic doctors continue to provide obstetrics and anaesthetics services, the role of on-call doctor has been filled by Country Health SA locums.

Dr Tim Leeuwenburg of the KI Medical Clinic said local doctors were keen to resume on-call services but still awaited a contract.

Country Health SA has been negotiating with the Rural Doctors Association of SA over fees for on-call services.

RDASA said a revised fee offer from Country Health on February 15 was a “significant improvement”.

“Negotiators believe the current offer with equitable payments to all rural doctors irrespective of size of town is the best overall compromise and reflects the clear will of members for on-call payments to be even across all size health units,” the RDASA says.

“The RDASA executive has had widespread support from many of its members on this current proposal and believes that RDASA members should consider accepting the proposed offer.”

The RDASA said Country Health SA would provide a formal letter to all rural GPs with further information regarding the contract agreement and also the timing of the contracts arriving at practices and hospitals for doctors to consider.

Dr Leeuwenburg said the Australian Medical Association still believed the offer was insufficient and rural doctors should continue to negotiate.

Meanwhile, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission would not comment on the status of an investigation into the Kangaroo Island Medical Clinic doctors.

The doctors were reported to the ACCC late last year for a breach of the Trade Practices Act, after they threatened to withdraw their on-call services to the hospital when negotiations had failed to secure a contract.

Dr Leeuwenburg said he was confident the doctors would not face court proceedings over the investigation.