
Ambulance union defends $400k election spend
The paramedics union says the $400,000 it spent highlighting the ramping and response time issues which played a key part of Labor’s state election campaign was “wholly justified”.
The paramedics union says the $400,000 it spent highlighting the ramping and response time issues which played a key part of Labor’s state election campaign was “wholly justified”.
Labor leader Peter Malinauskas has drawn fire from the Government for a “reckless spending spree” as he insists his solution to the ramping “crisis” will bring ambulance response times back to what they were five years ago – but not eliminate the problem altogether.
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There were 42 serious emergencies left uncovered across South Australia overnight with some patients waiting more than six hours for an ambulance to arrive, the paramedics union says, as the ambulance service concedes it is “undoubtedly facing unprecedented demand”.
UPDATED | A COVID patient waited three hours for an ambulance overnight while two other “critically unwell” cases had to be transported in the same ambulance due to resource shortages and were then ramped, the paramedics union says – but the Premier says all patients were seen in a “clinically appropriate timeframe”.
Ambulance ramping in South Australia will be the subject of a parliamentary inquiry after a petition of more than 44,000 signatures calling for more ambulance resourcing was presented to parliament.
Children were left waiting for care in ambulances outside the Women’s and Children’s Hospital overnight in the worst case of ramping doctors and paramedics say they have seen there amid increasing concerns about the state’s preparedness for a COVID outbreak.
EXCLUSIVE: After revealing a great-grandfather died from inhaling vomit after waiting hours for an ambulance, InDaily has learned an aged care resident deteriorated and died after going into cardiac arrest as staff repeatedly called for help and performed CPR during a 90-minute wait for paramedics to arrive.