The Rockliff Government has acknowledged for the first time that ambulance ramping is contributing to preventable deaths in Tasmania. Unfortunately, this landmark recognition was quickly tainted by the Health Minister’s implication that some deaths were less concerning because they had been among older and sicker Tasmanians.
Under questioning from the Greens at the ambulance ramping inquiry, Health Minister Guy Barnett finally accepted ramping has an impact on patient mortality, and that ramping for longer periods increases the risks of dying for patients.
This recognition follows the Rockliff Government’s long-term reluctance to acknowledge the obvious harm ambulance ramping is causing to Tasmanian patients. Only three weeks ago, Minister Jo Palmer accused the Greens of playing politics, and of reaching “a new low” for stating the fact Minister Barnett has now accepted.
Although the Health Minister finally accepted the evidence from his staff and from medical research that longer ramping causes patient harm, he shockingly then tried to defend the steep recent increase in deaths of patients who were ramped for long periods by saying many of those patients were older and sicker Tasmanians.
Minister Barnett seemed to imply Tasmanians shouldn’t worry too much about ramping harms, because many of the people dying after extended time on the ramp are older than average ambulance patients. This is a deeply disturbing suggestion.
The Minister should ask himself why some of the most vulnerable Tasmanians are being ramped and subjected to long delays in the treatment they need when they’ve been brought to hospital in an ambulance with a serious medical condition.
