In a major backflip by Health Minister Chris Picton, the mental health services crisis afflicting the Eyre Peninsula has been resolved following repeated appeals by regional clinical psychologist Dr Amanda Rogers. Dr. Rogers who serves adults and children on the Eyre Peninsula, was forced to go public after her letters to State and Federal Labor Governments explaining the crisis, fell on deaf ears.

“Today (Friday) the Federal Labor Health Minister has conceded there is a problem and approved a Section 19(2) exemption for communities on the Eyre Peninsula,” said Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Regional Health Services, Penny Pratt.

“Patients should also expect to receive backdated Medicare rebates retrospectively and I will keep pushing for that until it’s paid,” said Ms Pratt.   Ms Pratt also said she was pleased that advocacy appears to have prompted a resolution, but disappointed too that it was only Dr Rogers’ public appeal that prompted action from Federal Health Minister Mark Butler or SA Health Minister Chris Picton.

“It is a sad state of affairs when the only time Labor Governments act is when they are exposed in the media”, said Ms Pratt.

Dr. Rogers has been advocating for local residents on the Eyre Peninsula, and on behalf of Coober Pedy who are also impacted by this issue, and for that the remote areas will have a flow-on effect from Dr Rogers’s relentless advocacy.

“Residents on Upper Eyre Peninsula have been denied access to Medicare Rebates for Allied Health Services (including mental health services) due to an impasse between the Federal and State Governments. This crisis has been going on for six months,” said Dr. Rogers.

Dr. Rogers lives and works in Cleve, and provides a service to the whole of the Eyre Peninsula (SHEOAK Clinical Psychology) where she has been seeing the terrible impact that this situation is having on people – the elderly, children, teenagers, women, people with disabilities, Indigenous residents, and farmers who are suffering a difficult year on the land.

“The right to Medicare rebates is being offered to every other Australian – but not to people who obtain a referral from a GP in Cleve, Cowell, Kimba, Elliston and Coober Pedy. People feel abandoned, targeted, isolated, and frustrated. It is placing extra financial pressure on people whose mental health is compromised. It is posing another barrier to people accessing mental health services in this remote area of the state,” Dr. Rogers said earlier this week.

In recent weeks Dr. Rogers has been lobbying the State and Federal governments. “The blame and the responsibility are being hand-balled between the State Government and the Federal Government. For months they have been promising to ‘have a solution in weeks’. They need to act before this costs someone their life,” advocated Dr. Rogers.

“Medicare is a right for all Australians, and people in these communities are being discriminated against. The dispute between the Federal and State Governments could have been rectified immediately”.

Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Penny Pratt said, “In the last two months Dr Rogers has written to the Premier, the Federal Health Minister, three times to the State Health Minister, to the State’s Chief Psychiatrist and to mental health peak bodies seeking support”.

“In a final act of disrespect neither Health Minister could find the time to communicate directly to Dr Rogers but instead gave the good news to the media. I am glad they are finally listening to country people after six weeks of desperate advocacy to the highest levels.”

Under pressure in parliament last week, Ms Pratt asked the Minister to commit to a solution that would involve SA Health nominating the affected communities for a Commonwealth exemption, instead he opted to reject the bipartisan approach.

Under even more scrutiny during Budget and Finance Committee on Monday the CEO of SA Health Dr Robyn Lawrence also failed to offer solutions, saying, “We shouldn’t be providing primary care. We have done everything we can. I don’t know if there is much more we can do.”