To all who have the power to stop this, I am writing to express my serious concerns regarding the recently released South Australia’s Country Health Care Plan.

I am especially concerned about

• our local hospital losing the ability to provide acute medical care for my friends and family.

• needing to travel away from my local community if I need to be admitted to hospital.

• the increased stress on volunteers and cost of ambulances and retrieval services needed to transport ill patients from one hospital to another.

• needing to travel away from friends and family for treatment in an unfamiliar town or city.

• making rural practice less able to attract doctors, nurses and other health professionals.

• the potential of the plan to destroy South Australia’s rural communities.

• the staff at my local hospital losing their skills to manage significant illnesses.

• the lack of input into this plan from country patients and rural doctors and nurses.

• the lack of evidence provided to explain the reasoning behind the plan.

• needing to move to another town to be closer to medical care.

• too many patients coming to my local hospital from surrounding towns which will interfere with my access to local care.

The most vital thing to save a life is the first hour, how can we have medical help within this time frame. Do not tell me ambulances will fill this gap, we also have a shortage of ambulance personnel and they are only volunteers .

Our medical care needs upgrading not downgrading, we have children who are already being sent far from home for medical care. The service is already poor and you want to allow it to be worse. If you live in the eastern suburbs would .you like to be sent to Victor Harbor for medical help? It is an hour to Gawler from here. It’s only eight to 10 minutes to Eudunda Hospital.

I have animals and I already find the vet is more accessible than the doctors for emergency, check ups and surgery. At least the animals can get good attention.

I ask that you address the concerns I’ve raised. I also urge you to suspend the Country Health Care Plan and safeguard rural health services in South Australia.