TROY BELL MP
Member for Mount Gambier
Your Independent voice
in State Parliament
New ambos 18 months away
Tuesday December 13, 2022Published by: The Border Watch
By: Aidan Curtis
THE State Government is on track with its election promise to boost ambulance numbers in the Limestone Coast, but it will still take time to get boots on the ground.
During a sitting of Parliament on Tuesday, November 29, Mount Gambier MP Troy Bell asked Health Minister Chris Picton when the promised paramedics would reach the region.
In response, Mr Picton said the 18 new "ambos" were planned to come on board in Mount Gambier in July 2024 and things were "on track for that".
"In fact, what we have done now is detail the entire planning for our additional recruitment and crews to come online across the whole state," he said.
"This has now been posted across all our ambulance stations, I am advised, because we want ambos to know when those opportunities for additional crews come up so that hopefully there will be ambos who will see that and say, 'I'm interested in joining that crew when it comes online in Mount Gambier in a bit over 18 months' time.' "This is a clearly detailed list that goes crew by crew across the whole state." Following that Parliamentary session, Mr Bell told The Border Watch Mount Gambier is later in the scheduling than what he thinks would be ideal.
"The good thing is, and I'm not going to grizzle too much, the commitment is there, it's budgeted for, it's going to happen," he said.
"But I would like to see more urgency in the rolling out and the rubber hitting the road on these commitments.
"We're following up why it's 2024 and why it can't be 2023, for instance - there's still a lot of work to be done around that." Mr Bell said the need for extra ambulance resources in the region is still very present, and the issue needs to be addressed as quickly as possible.
Ambulance Employee Association (AEA) state councillor for the Limestone Coast Andrew Shouksmith said he understands getting extra paramedics is not something that can happen overnight, but there are things that can be done at a local level to alleviate some pressures on ambulance crews.
"We have a lack of volunteers in a lot of places, so that's being a knock on effect," he said.
"You've got career stations who are not only covering their own area, but they're covering volunteer towns as well.
"It also means that people can and are waiting a lot longer for a response for an ambulance that's got to come from another town." Mr Shouksmith said people could also help out by staying up to date with their Covid vaccinations and only calling ambulances in an emergency.
"Don't get complacent - if they offer another round of vaccinations, take it," he said.
"Try and see your GP, don't go to a hospital and clog up the emergency department if at all possible.
"Of course, we've got a lack of GPs and stretched resources, but if people can seek an alternative pathway rather than going to the hospital or calling an ambulance for a lot of these minor complaints, that can certainly help our workload."