Record levels of ambulance ramping across the state has seen St John’s Ambulance resort to making a delay warning to the public for anyone calling triple zero, with one in four ambulances across the state ramped outside WA hospitals.
Ambulance ramping is when our paramedics are unable to transfer patients into the hospital system due to a lack of capacity in our hospitals.
“Despite having more time than any Government on the planet to prepare for COVID it is extraordinary that we are seeing our ambulance service have to resort to this measure due to this hospital crisis,” said Shadow Spokesperson for Health Libby Mettam.
“At a time where we are reporting just 6 cases in ICU and 279 cases overall it is clear the McGowan Government can no longer use COVID as cover for their failure to properly resource the WA Health system.
“This is a product of five years of neglect of the health system under the McGowan Government, and a Government who have failed to properly prepare our health system for COVID.
“The McGowan Government has invested the bare minimum in the health system, with the lowest number of public beds per capita in the country going into the pandemic, despite record surpluses to the state.
“It is shocking that all of the additional beds committed to COVID will not be coming online until October this year, well after the winter flu season, indicative of this Government’s lacklustre response to supporting our hospitals and health workers.
“The WA public have stepped up by getting vaccinated, our small businesses have supported restrictions, but the McGowan Government have failed our hospital system and our health workers.”
