Media | State News

REVEALED: Queensland ramping crisis worst in the nation

13th April 2022

It’s official. Queensland’s ambulance crisis is the worst in the country with more than 1 in 3 ambulances routinely ramped outside hospitals.

Official figures show on average 38% of all ambulances are ramped across the state making it the highest reported in Australia.

In NSW it’s 16.8%, Victoria 33.9% and in WA it’s 37.3%.

In South Australia, when ambulance ramping was at its worst and 2800 hours were lost, Queensland paramedics were losing more than three times that amount of time in lost hours. *

Official figures show Queensland paramedics lost an extraordinary number of hours stuck on ramps last year.

A parliamentary Question on Notice revealed our ambos lost more than 13,000 hours in March and May last year, and at other times of the year it routinely exceeded 10,000 hours.

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli described the revelation as shocking and called on the State Government to start listening to the cries for help from our health heroes on the frontline.

“If the State Government doesn’t start listening, it’s only going to get worse,” he said.

“Behind these numbers are Queenslanders who have called triple zero needing urgent help.

“Instead, they’re left waiting on a ramp, in a corridor or a hallway for hours.

“They deserve so much better.

“The LNP has put solutions on the table including real time data monitoring for patients and GPs, empowering local doctors and nurses to make more decisions, improving triaging and invest in more beds.

“The Queensland Health Crisis is real.

“It cannot be ignored.

“It’s time for the Premier and the Government she leads, to start listening and find solutions now.”

 * Queensland reports the percentage of ramping data; South Australia reports lost hours.