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.
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.
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