The South Australian Opposition says the Government’s hospital reforms will see hundreds of frontline jobs cut.

New budget papers indicate that there will be 981 fewer full-time equivalent positions at the health department next financial year.

Opposition health spokesperson Stephen Wade says 867 of those positions will be cut from local health networks, but the Government says it will not affect frontline staff.

Mr Wade says the health system will be $74 million worse off.

“The Government needs to answer how many doctors, nurses and orderlies will be lost under this state budget,” he said on the weekend.

“What's clear from the budget papers is that the heavy lifting in these cuts is going to be taken by the hospital networks.”

The SA Government has struggled to sell its Transforming Health reforms, and has already had to amend several cost-cutting measures in the face of public disapproval. 

Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis says the Government will stick to its planned 3,000 job cuts across the public sector, saying there “are going to be efficiencies” in health, but pledging not to sack any doctors.

“We won't be cutting frontline staff,” he told reporters.

“Clinicians are the ones who are telling us where the waste is and we're working on it, but it's not doctors and nurses.

“As demand presents itself, we'll have the doctors and nurses there to make sure that South Australians get the best healthcare.”