On a Saturday in the west coast town of Zeehan, a man with chest pain and struggling breath called for help and waited 78 minutes for an ambulance that had no paramedic close enough to send. It was the second such death in Tasmania this month, after a Hobart family drove their dying relative to hospital when no crew could be spared. Behind these losses lies a long, quiet thinning of a service stretched across remote towns and a crowded city hospital, and the state's leaders now argue over whether the cause is a shortage of hands, a fragile transfer policy, or a budget that asks too much.
Two Tasmanian Deaths Linked to Ambulance Delays Fuel Calls of 'Crisis' in State Health System
A man in Zeehan died after a 78-minute wait for an ambulance, and a Hobart man died after his family drove him to hospital when no ambulance was available.
The man had died by the time the Burnie crew arrived, 78 minutes later.
Mark
Two deaths in about two weeks. What ties them together?
Mimi
Both were urgent calls where no ambulance was free. In Zeehan the station was empty and the nearby crews were busy. In Hobart, crews were reportedly tied up or ramped at the hospital.
Mark
So different causes, same result?
Mimi
Different pressures. One is a regional staffing gap, the other is hospital congestion. Both leave a priority 1 call waiting.
Luke
Careful, though. The Hobart cause comes from a union's account. The investigations haven't reported, so we don't know yet how much the delays contributed to either death.
Mark
Fair. What about the 11 per cent figure?
Mimi
Webster gave it at a June estimates hearing. It covers unfilled paramedic shifts since July last year, statewide.
Luke
And it's a statewide average. It doesn't tell us how bad Zeehan or the west coast is specifically.
Mark
The premier cites 30,000 hours saved. Does that settle it?
Luke
It's the government's figure, and it measures time at hospitals, not response times in remote towns. It may be true and still not address Saturday.
Mimi
Which is why the regional crew support he mentioned is the part to watch, along with the $700 million savings plan.
Il Polso
- A priority 1 call in Zeehan sat for 78 minutes while the only nearby crews were busy elsewhere, and a man died before help arrived.
- Roughly 11 per cent of Ambulance Tasmania paramedic shifts have gone unfilled since July last year, leaving stations like Zeehan empty.
- Ramped ambulances waiting outside the Royal Hobart Hospital are pulling crews off the road, and a Hobart man in cardiac arrest was driven in by his family.
- Labor and the Greens are demanding the government scrap its $700 million health savings plan, while the Premier points to a transfer-of-care policy that has reportedly saved 30,000 ambulance hours.
- Two departmental investigations are underway, and the Health Minister has rejected a call for an independent inquiry, so whether regional staffing or transfer rules change remains open.
On a Saturday in the west coast town of Zeehan, a man with chest pain and struggling breath called for help and waited 78 minutes for an ambulance that had no paramedic close enough to send. It was the second such death in Tasmania this month, after a Hobart family drove their dying relative to hospital when no crew could be spared. Behind these losses lies a long, quiet thinning of a service stretched across remote towns and a crowded city hospital, and the state's leaders now argue over whether the cause is a shortage of hands, a fragile transfer policy, or a budget that asks too much.
On Saturday, a man in Zeehan called for help with chest pain and trouble breathing. The call was marked priority 1, the most urgent category, but the town's station had no paramedic to send because a leave vacancy had gone unfilled. Paramedics in Queenstown and Strahan were already committed, and a crew from Burnie was finally assigned. It arrived 78 minutes later, and by then the man had died.
It was the second death this month linked to a delayed ambulance. Earlier, a Hobart family had called Triple Zero twice in 25 minutes; the first call was triaged as non-urgent, and when the second was upgraded, still no vehicle was free. According to a union, the ambulances were either attending other cases or stuck outside the Royal Hobart Hospital, which was at capacity. The family drove him in themselves. He was in cardiac arrest when they arrived and later died.
The Health Department is investigating both deaths to find immediate improvements. Labor and the Greens say the system is in crisis and that regional staffing has failed, and they want the government to abandon its $700 million health savings plan. Premier Jeremy Rockliff says the investigations will identify problems, and he points to a transfer-of-care policy that he says has cut 30,000 hours of ambulance time stuck at hospitals. Ambulance Tasmania's stations depend on a mix of paramedics and volunteers, and the department says recruitment in remote areas is difficult.
The shortfall is wider than one town. About 11 per cent of paramedic shifts have gone unfilled since last July. The Australian Medical Association has called for an independent inquiry, which Health Minister Bridget Archer has rejected as costly and unhelpful. What happens next depends on the investigations and the fate of the savings target.
On Saturday, a man in the west coast town of Zeehan called for help. He had chest pain and was struggling to breathe. The call was classed as priority 1, the category that demands an immediate response. No ambulance was there to send from the town itself: the Zeehan station was unstaffed because a leave vacancy had gone unfilled.
The nearest alternatives were also out of reach. Paramedics in Queenstown and Strahan were already attending other cases. A crew from Burnie was finally assigned, and it arrived 78 minutes later. By then the man had died.
It was the second death this month involving a delayed ambulance. About two weeks earlier, a Hobart family had rung Triple Zero (000) twice within 25 minutes. The first call was triaged as non-urgent. As the man's condition worsened, the second call was escalated to priority 1. Even then it took another 25 minutes to dispatch a vehicle, because none was free. According to a union, the ambulances were either responding to other cases or were ramped at the Royal Hobart Hospital, stuck outside because the emergency department was at capacity. The family drove him to hospital themselves. He was in cardiac arrest when they arrived and later died.
The Health Department is investigating both deaths, with the aim of identifying any immediate improvements. Labor and the Greens say the deaths show the system is in crisis. Labor leader Josh Willie said the system cannot withstand further cuts, and that the cases show staffing problems in regional areas, where paramedics are not available in an emergency. A statement from the opposition side said medical professionals had warned for too long that Tasmanians would die because of the worsening system, that they had offered the Liberals solutions, and that the government had failed to act.
Ambulance Tasmania runs 51 stations across the state. Some are staffed entirely by paramedics, others rely partly or wholly on volunteers. Zeehan normally has one paramedic rostered on day shift and on call out of hours, supported by volunteers. The Health Department said it tried to fill Saturday's vacant shift through backfilling, including overtime and volunteers. It said recruitment of more paramedics to the region continues, but the area's remoteness makes that difficult.
The gaps are not confined to one station. At a budget estimates hearing in June, Health Department secretary Dale Webster told the Greens that about 11 per cent of paramedic shifts had gone unfilled since July last year. The Greens and Labor are now urging the government to abandon its plan to find $700 million in savings in the health budget.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the investigations would identify any issues needing attention, and that all health professionals do their best in emergencies. He pointed to the government's transfer of care policy, which he said has cut 30,000 hours of ambulance time spent stuck at hospitals since it began. He said the government is open to further change, whether more resources or other ways to support regional crews and sharpen the transfer policy.
The Australian Medical Association last week called for an independent commission of inquiry into what it called a "perpetual crisis". Health Minister Bridget Archer dismissed the idea, saying it would cost more than $30 million and would not help any patients. The findings of the two departmental investigations, and the fate of the $700 million savings target, will show whether regional staffing and the transfer policy change.
Citazioni salienti
Our health system is in crisis. It cannot withstand further cuts.— Josh Willie, Labor leader
The government is open to further changes, and we need to learn from the outcomes and invest in key actions.— Jeremy Rockliff, Premier (paraphrased)
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