The South Australian government will solve overcrowding problems in the state's major public hospitals and will deliver the best health system in the country, Premier Steven Marshall says.
As nurses rallied for a second day in protest over high demand, particularly in Hospital emergency departments, Mr Marshall conceded the situation "is a mess" but told state parliament his government was up to fixing the problems.
"It will take some time but we're up to the task," Mr Marshall said.
"We're going to do our best to deliver the best health system in the country."
His comments came as dozens of nurses gathered outside the Flinders Medical Centre on Tuesday in their continuing campaign of industrial action.
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That followed a similar rally outside the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Monday.
Nurses have called on the state government to offer a meaningful "circuit breaker" to ease the pressure on hospitals.
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation has vowed to cancel some non-urgent surgery from Thursday although Health Minister Stephen Wade says no operations will be delayed.
Federation state secretary Elizabeth Dabars has written to Mr Wade to clarify the government's response to what has been described as crisis conditions across the public hospital network.
"I can advise that, as of today's date, our metropolitan members continue to advise that what you have announced so far has offered no relief and little comfort for the pressures they, and their patients, are under," Ms Dabars said in the letter.
She said the federation also rejected suggestions from the government that nurses were "moving the goalposts" in their demands for action.
"The goal has always been clear," Ms Dabars said.
"We need a circuit-breaker that will provide genuine relief whilst the medium to long-term strategies necessary to improve the system can be put in place and become effective."
Initiatives announced by the government so far include the transfer of 56 patients from metropolitan to country hospitals and a plan to move some patients to beds in private hospitals.
It said it was also continuing to work on medium to long-term solutions to the overcrowding problems, such as opening beds in the Repatriation Hospital which was closed by the former Labor government.
