DOCTORS on Kangaroo Island say operations and births are at risk because of SA Health moves which will force them to work dangerously long hours.
Following months of negotiations, the island's six general practitioners, have refused a staffing offer from Country Health SA which would see the removal of locum help for one week each month.
The doctors say they are not prepared to risk the lives of their patients by working "dangerously long hours" required under the proposed agreement.
Dr Mark Raines said doctors wanted the existing agreement, which ends on March 31, to continue.
This arrangement allows the the doctors to provide 24-hour, 7-days-a-week emergency, obstetric and anaesthetic services for 40 weeks of the year.
He said if the doctors did not fund a locum themselves, Country Health SA would stop them treating public patients at the local hospital and instead employ a new team of doctors.
"Where are they going to find the extra money and extra doctors to staff the local hospital with a health budget that is really struggling?" Dr Raines asked.
He said the failure to reach an agreement would place funding for anaesthetic and obstetric on-call services at risk.
"This may mean the end of operations and birthing on Kangaroo Island," he said.
"We're left scratching our heads trying to work out their logic."
Dr Raines questioned whether the attempt to remove locum services to KI was the beginning of similar support across the state.
"Without locum support it will become more difficult to attract GPs to the bush and sustain GPs like us who are already working in the bush."
About 4500 people live on KI, and each year about 190,000 visitors arrive.
"It is not fair to our local patients and it sends an appalling message to our tourism industry that relies on the tens of thousands of people attracted to this world-class tourist destination every year," Dr Raines said.
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