South Australians are continuing to face serious delays in emergency care with the latest ramping data revealing patients and paramedics spent 3411 hours, the equivalent of 142 days, waiting outside hospitals during critical moments in December.
Today’s data release means:
- Peter Malinauskas has now delivered 31 of the worst months of ramping in South Australia’s history.
- More than 120,000 hours have now been lost to ramping since Labor was elected, or the equivalent of 13 years - more than any time in history.
- Last month’s ramping figures are close to 1900 hours worse than the last full month of the former Liberal Government.
Leader of the Opposition, Vincent Tarzia said that this is just another example of the Malinauskas Government failing South Australians.
“You cannot trust Labor with your health. Instead of addressing this critical issue, they are focused on vanity projects while real South Australians are left in limbo, stuck waiting outside our hospitals,” Mr Tarzia said.
“For South Australians who trusted the Malinauskas Government to fix ramping, the latest figures represent yet another broken promise.
“While we welcome measures that alleviate the stress on emergency departments around the state, we’re now almost three years into this Government’s term and there’s still no fix in sight like they promised.”
Shadow Minister for Health, Ashton Hurn added that despite promising to fix ramping, it continues to skyrocket under the watch of Peter Malinauskas.
“Patients this Christmas expecting to spend time with family and friends in December instead spent the equivalent of 142 days stuck outside our hospitals on the ramp waiting to get inside,” Mrs Hurn said.
“After being urged to vote ‘like their lives depended on it’, Labor has delivered 31 of the worst months of ramping in South Australian’s history.
“This is a terrible start to the new year and it’s not good enough - the Government has to cut the excuses and the desperate statistical gymnastics and just deliver on its promise.”
