Dishonesty from Liberal politicians won’t end ambulance ramping in Tasmania.
Health Minister Guy Barnett today said “there will be no ramping under our government.” This is simply not true, and shows the Minister has stooped to a deeply dishonest hoax to try and win votes.
The reaction to this statement from most Tasmanians will be – are you kidding? And fair enough, given the Liberals have overseen a crisis where ambulance ramping today is five times more common than in 2016.
The Liberals’ plan to limit ambulance ramping to 30 minutes will not end ramping. Their government’s own long-held definition is that ambulance ramping occurs when a patient gets to hospital with a paramedic, and is forced to remain in their care for more than 15 minutes.
More than 21,000 Tasmanians had to experience ambulance ramping last year, and the Liberals’ plan will do nothing to reduce that number. We know from a recent Victorian study that being ramped for 17 minutes or longer leads to an increased risk of harm or death.
Rather than spreading mistruths and misinformation, the Minister would better serve Tasmanians by focussing on real solutions in staffing, hospital infrastructure, discharge planning, and preventative health.
Unfortunately he won’t even do the bare minimum that’s recommended by experts to address the worsening crisis in our ambulance services and hospitals – as shown by his inadequate announcement for extra paramedic numbers today.
