Queensland patients waiting longer in ambulances than Covid-hit states

Queensland patients are left waiting on ambulance stretchers at far higher rates than those in Covid-ravaged states.

Queensland patients are left waiting on ambulance stretchers at far higher rates than those in southern states – including during the start of New South Wales’s disastrous Covid-19 outbreak.

Opposition analysis of the latest that ambulance ramping across the state is at 41 per cent, compared to 21.3 per cent in NSW and 33.6 in Victoria.

The ongoing bed block in Queensland hospitals was again defended by Health Minister Yvette D’Ath during parliament on Wednesday where she said it was a problem every state in the country was dealing with.

Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates said the latest ramping data – from April, May and June – was more proof the government was losing control of the health system.

“Queensland Health is so sick that ambulance ramping is worse in Queensland compared to the southern states,” she said.

“Victoria is the most locked-down city in the world, yet Queensland’s ramping rate is far worse.”

Minister for Health Yvette D'Ath

Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates.

Victoria and New South Wales both had periods where parts of the state were in lockdown during the time period.

Ms D’Ath was unable to respond to questions yesterday about why Queensland’s ramping problem appeared to be worse than other states because she was in parliament but a department spokesperson said Queensland’s hospitals and emergency departments were busier than ever.

“The Queensland Government has invested $263 million … on initiatives to help alleviate pressures on our busy hospital and health services and improve patient flow,” the spokesperson said.

Stories of Queenslanders waiting hours for an ambulance are commonplace with The Courier-Mail reporting in the tragic case of one woman in June who waited more than nine hours for before dying in her sister’s arms.

Ambulances ramped at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. File picture

In attempt to address the issue of ambulances being stuck waiting at hospitals while hospital are choked with patients, AMA Queensland formed a roundtable of emergency specialists, surgeons and doctors from across the state to develop a road map out of the emergency department ramping crisis.

AMAQ president Professor Chris Perry said the government had been working well with the roundtable and discussions had been “very, very productive” so far.

Prof Perry agreed the issue of ramping was plaguing the entire country with historic underfunding from both state and federal governments to blame.

“The hospitals are bursting down there (in Victoria and New South Wales) and that may well be the case here too if we don’t get our vaccinations in order,” he said.

“We have no extra capacity … The unvaccinated are a risk to themselves, their families and general community.”