Ice addicts turn emergency rooms ‘into war zones’

Australians have reacted in disgust and shock as paramedics are being stabbed and attacked as the ice scourge spreads, with some emergency departments looking more like a war zone. HAVE YOUR SAY

Some of the country’s hospital emergency wards resemble war zone triage with ice addicts causing mayhem for workers, Australia’s top operations cop has said.

In NSW alone, paramedics are threatening industrial action over the lack of improved security in hospital emergency wards to counter rising patient violence, some of which caused by drugs and specifically ‘ice’ induced psychosis.

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The NSW parliamentary inquiry into the drug ice last week heard evidence in Dubbo how it took 15 people — seven police officers and eight Dubbo Base hospital staff — just to restrain one ice-addled violent patient.

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Police and security staff help doctors as they treat a man affected by ice psychosis in an incident at Royal Perth Hospital’s Emergency Department. Picture: Gary Ramage

The Special Commission of Inquiry into the Drug Ice heard the drug was at epidemic levels in many NSW regional cities including Dubbo.

The Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Operations Neil Gaughan said yesterday crystal methamphetamine was “insidious” and was having a detrimental impact on communities, notably hospitals and health care workers, particularly paramedics, dealing with the fallout.

Neil Gaughan is concerned by the rise in violence against ambulance staff. Picture: Kym Smith

“We are seeing much more violence particularly towards ambulance workers, as they (addicts) get a bit of gear in them and they are so hard to control,” he told True Crime Australia.

“The amount of injuries paramedics get … it’s like a war zone for some of the old paramedics and even the hospitals. Recently we have seen stabbings and other violence by people affected by drugs.”

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The counsel assisting the NSW inquiry Nicholas Kelly said ice was an epidemic in some regions.

“This region is in crisis right now, it is a crisis that spans country, generations and services and the people it affects are desperate for help,” he said.

A man, believed to have taken ice, is held down by Sydney police officers as they wait for an ambulance crew to arrive and sedate him. Picture: Gordon McComiskie

In NSW, patients are to be locked in ambulances for their own safety under a radical plan to cope with escalating hospital violence. Health workers are demanding an extra 250 security guards with special constable powers to control hospitals.

Health Services Union boss Gerard Hayes said the situation was “desperate”.

“We are now at the point where paramedics are being belted in hospitals while effectively­ doing the job of security­ officers,” he said.

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Originally published as Ice addicts turn emergency rooms ‘into war zones’