New data reveals ambulance ramping has skyrocketed in the Wide Bay after an elderly Bargara resident was forced to wait eight hours for help.
Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett has raised the alarm with shocking new analysis revealing almost 6500 lost ambulance hours in the Wide Bay in 2023.
“Doctors, nurses, paramedics, patients; they’re being let down by a broken system,” said Mr Bennett.
“No one should have to wonder if an ambulance will turn up in their time of need, let alone wait in agony for eight hours!
“Alarmingly, Health Minister Shannon Fentiman told Queenslanders the situation “was improving” but no matter how hard Labor try to hide or change the way they report on Ambulance Ramping, the numbers and horrific stories keep coming.
“Labor can cover up the data all they like, but until real action is taken, residents like Mrs Anstiss will continue to be victims of the Queensland Health Crisis.
“This is disgraceful.
“Queenslanders deserve transparency and accountability, not more Labor chaos and crisis.”
Mr Eddie Anstiss said his wife deserves so much better.
“About midday my wife started to become unwell and I made an emergency 000 call for ambulance assistance at 2.28pm,” he said.
“We received a call back at 3.20pm to inform us that there was a delay and again at 5.07pm then no more contact until I once again called 000 to be told that we would still have to wait.
“It was 10.20pm when the ambulance finally arrived.
“That’s an eight hours wait for my wife to lay in agony waiting for help.
“This is completely unacceptable.
“We live in the Palm Lake Resort where there are over 700 mature age residents.
“Soon there be another new Resort at Innes Park with many more mature aged residents all expecting ambulance and hospital services which are not available.
“What is the Minister doing to fix this?”
ENDS.
| Health & Hospital Service | Oct 23 | Nov 23 | Dec 23 | 2023 Q4 TOTAL Lost Hours | 2023 TOTAL Lost Hours |
| Cairns and Hinterland | 384 | 402 | 399 | 1185 | 4547 |
| Central QLD | 465 | 379 | 342 | 1186 | 6397 |
| Children’s Health | 48 | 34 | 42 | 124 | 561 |
| Darling Downs | 309 | 267 | 363 | 939 | 3193 |
| Gold Coast | 770 | 233 | 1053 | 2056 | 10867 |
| Mackay | 242 | 233 | 225 | 700 | 2923 |
| Mater Public Hospitals | 643 | 895 | 740 | 2278 | 10568 |
| Metro North | 2568 | 2383 | 2268 | 7219 | 30356 |
| Metro South | 3742 | 4377 | 3968 | 12,087 | 54681 |
| North West | 8 | 13 | 12 | 33 | 196 |
| Sunshine Coast | 593 | 731 | 690 | 2014 | 7531 |
| Townsville | 148 | 136 | 115 | 399 | 1491 |
| West Moreton | 1806 | 2051 | 1828 | 5685 | 22172 |
| Wide Bay | 529 | 458 | 498 | 1485 | 6424 |
| 161,909 |
NOTE: Lost hours have been calculated by multiplying the ‘average lost time’ by the number of arrivals, and then dividing that number by 60 (so that the final number is hours, instead of minutes).
SOURCE DOCUMENTS:
09/04/2024