A maternity ward in South Australia's mid-north has been saved from closure but doubts remain about its long-term future.
Doctors and nurses slammed Country Health SA this week after it suspended birthing services at Jamestown Hospital because of a shortage of midwives.
The department announced on Thursday that the unit will reopen on January 4 after reaching an agreement with staff at neighbouring hospitals.
But it conceded the arrangement was temporary and did not guarantee the unit's long-term future.
The Rural Doctors Association of SA has expressed concerns the department is laying the grounds for the unit to be permanently closed.
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Closing the unit would force mothers to drive up to two hours to give birth, placing them at greater risk of complications, association president Peter Rischbieth said on Tuesday.
