Country Health SA says it expects to finalise contracts with remaining doctors in coming weeks after the passing of a deadline for GPs to sign a new agreement.
Country doctors had until Friday to commit to a three-year deal to provide medical services to country hospitals.
The Rural Doctors Association of South Australia, which had been critical of the agreement, said it had issues surrounding fee collection and recognition of training.
It said some doctors only signed up because they felt pressure to do so.
Country Health’s acting chief executive officer, Rebecca Graham, said 97 per cent of country GPs had signed up.
She said it was business as usual for regional hospitals.
“The offer that we’ve put on the table here in South Australia is very competitive and very generous when you compare with other areas across Australia,” she said.
“So we know this is a very good offer. We also, in the course of the negotiations, added additional benefits into the agreement.
“I think from the uptake we’ve seen with our GPs, and we’ve kept in very close contact even with those that are … still considering the contract, we describe that relationship as very good.
“GPs are the backbone of our services across country and it’s a relationship that we value in Country Health very strongly.”