Will Hodgman is failing Tasmania’s hardworking paramedics by refusing to listen to their personal stories of extreme exhaustion and stress as a result of a broken ambulance system.
There is no respite in sight with paramedics required to work overtime to cover five shifts in southern Tasmania tomorrow and another nine shifts over the weekend.
This is just one issue being discussed at Labor’s roundtable with local health stakeholders in Hobart today, and despite invitations to Sarah Courtney and Jeremy Rockliff, no one from the Government decided to show up.
Shadow Health Minister, Sarah Lovell, said Will Hodgman was out of touch with the extent of the crisis facing Tasmania’s ambulance service.
“Will Hodgman has proved that he has no idea about how many paramedics have been employed to date after pulling several different numbers out of thin air yesterday and still failing to get it right,” Ms Lovell said.
“The reality is that the Government is nowhere near its commitment to employ an extra 42 regional paramedics this year, in fact Labor understands that only one new paramedic has been employed.
“This week we have also seen the unprecedented situation of Ambulance Tasmania declaring a ‘Surge 5’ which is a contingency plan to respond to major incidents like bus and plane crashes.
“We also have had the Royal Hobart Hospital at crisis levels and high numbers of ambulances ramped at both the RHH and the Launceston General Hospital.
“But still Will Hodgman claims these issues are ‘operational’ which is his way of wiping his hands of this serious issue facing Tasmanians.
“Will Hodgman needs to get his facts right and set the record straight and immediately start work to recruit extra paramedics to prevent more lives being put at risk.”
Sarah Lovell MLC
Shadow Health Minister
