SA man underwent unnecessary radiation treatment in chemotherapy bungle

One of 52 South Australian men who received false positive tests for prostate cancer was given unnecessary radiation treatment, an investigation has found.

The report has also laid the blame for the bungled tests squarely with former SA Pathology executive director Ken Barr who was sacked over the incident.

Health Minister Jack Snelling says the report clearly shows that Mr Barr was not up to the job and vindicates the decision to terminate his employment.

"It's quite clear that Ken Barr was simply not up to the job when it came to managing this issue," Mr Snelling said today.

"He obfuscated, he did not take immediate and prompt action.

"In fact he took actions to basically hide the issue for a period of time."

SA Health Executive David Swan said he wanted to apologise for stress and anxiety caused to the men who received false positive results.

"The wellbeing of our patients has to be at the centre of everything we do and the initial response to this incident was completely unacceptable," he said.

The bungled test results were recorded between November last year and March this year and were the result of a faulty kit.

Mr Swan said it was unclear if the man who received unnecessary radiation treatment would suffer any adverse effects.

Mr Snelling said the government had accepted all the recommendations from the investigation which would result in a complete overhaul of SA Pathology.