SA minister survives no-confidence vote

South Australia's government has used its parliamentary numbers to defeat a no-confidence motion in Health Minister Jack Snelling.

Opposition Leader Steven Marshall moved the motion on Thursday, saying the health system was in crisis and Mr Snelling had presided over multiple bungles.

"He has proven himself to be completely and utterly inadequate to look after this most important of portfolios," Mr Marshall told parliament.

"This minister is responsible or supposedly responsible for the care and the treatment of our most seriously ill people in South Australia and his performance over the last three years has been nothing short of deplorable."

The vote in the lower house was defeated 23 to 19.

Mr Marshall said a "rolling wave of scandal and incompetence" under Mr Snelling's watch had undermined confidence in the health system.

The scandals included the use of hidden cameras to monitor pathology staff, revelations health workers snooped on patient files, false positive prostate cancer results and the under-dosing of nine chemotherapy patients.

He also accused Mr Snelling of handballing responsibility for mental health patients, many of whom had languished in emergency departments for extended periods, to a junior minister.

Premier Jay Weatherill said Mr Snelling enjoyed his full confidence.

"He has courageously committed himself to dealing with one of the most important areas of public policy that's confronting our state at the moment," Mr Weatherill said.

"He has designed an intelligent way of dealing with that system and he has exercised great integrity in the way in which he's handled that process."

More than half of about 500 medical professionals recently surveyed over the state government's sweeping health reforms said they had not been properly consulted.

But the Australian Medical Association said Mr Snelling should be given the chance to turn things around.