Northern suburbs mum and disability pensioner Peta Marshall is the face of the ramping crisis

Northern suburbs mother Peta Marshall, a disability pensioner with extensive ailments, has been left “angry and frustrated” after enduring ramping three times in 10 days.

Northern suburbs mother Peta Marshall is the face of the ramping crisis after enduring the dilemma three times in 10 days during Christmas last year.

Ms Marshall, 38, of Northfield, sat for almost nine hours outside the Royal Adelaide Hospital on December 20, Boxing Day and on the cusp of New Year’s Eve.

The single mother, who lives with her son, Jethro, 12, was ramped outside the state’s main hospital for up to five hours on December 30 despite her “priority two” ambulance call being dispatched within 16 minutes.

A home hospital nurse made that call.

Peta Marshall, pictured with her son Jethro, 12, has been ramped multiple times in past few years at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Ms Marshall, a disability pensioner with extensive ailments, has been left “angry and frustrated” and will now rather catch a taxi than wait on a ramp.

She has blunt advice to South Australians: “Don’t get sick”.

“I’ve been sick my entire life – I should not be used to it, but I am,” she said.

“I know the health system is not functioning. I don’t want to go to hospital, I don’t want to waste their time or resources. But at the same time I did need to go after the nurses sent me.

“I will think twice about calling an ambulance. I would rather get an Uber there and wait in the waiting room. I know it would take the same amount of time.”

Her ordeal started on December 20 when she injured her leg and was in her ambulance for two hours.

Ms Marshall, who broke her hip aged 12 that needed a replacement 14 years later, then developed a “golden staph” infection, which left her leg “turning every colour under the sun”.

She had to wait more than seven hours for an ambulance on Boxing Day but then waited another four hours outside the RAH.

Ms Marshall has been left “angry and frustrated” and will now rather catch a taxi than wait on a ramp. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Single mother Peta Marshall was ramped outside RAHThe single mother, who lives with her son, Jethro, 12, was ramped outside the state’s main hospital for up to five hours on December 305/4/23. Ramping victim Peta Marshall has been ramped 3 times in past few years at the Royal Adelaide Hospital – with son Jethro -12yrs. Picture: Keryn Stevens

She was discharged after two days but then developed high blood pressure on December 30 and was sent back to hospital.

Ms Marshall, who also has Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory disease of the bowel – half of her has been removed – and medical steroid use-induced type 2 diabetes, said she waited for between three and five hours but “it felt like forever”.

Given her medical history, she has yearly ambulance cover, which costs her $125 annually for herself and her son under a family concession deal.