SA Ambulance Response Time Doubled In One Year Block

A Government report has revealed South Australia's ambulance response times have spiked since 2020.

According to the Productivity Commission report released on Wednesday night, wait times within the state doubled in just a year. 

It showed a 71 minute delay at the longest, for those in need of emergency assistance. While New South Wales was the next worst at 41 minutes. 

Health Minister Chris Picton said the former government was to blame for the rise in figures.

"This report card on the Liberals lays bare the dire state the Marshall Government left our health system in," Picton said.

"As we have consistently said, it will take time to fix the Liberals’ mess – and this data shows just how bad things got under their watch.

"This data from the previous government shows why it was so important we are now investing in 550 more hospital beds, 300 more nurses, 100 more doctors and 350 more ambos."

However, Shadow Minister for Health, Ashton Hurn said the report is an outlier due to the pandemic, and highlights the pressure that was placed on health systems across the nation.

"Ramping has skyrocketed by 135 per cent on Peter Malinauskas’ watch – dramatically surpassing the worst figures under the previous government – and this Labor government was elected on a key promise to fix ramping," Hurn said.

"Rather than criticising the previous government, Peter Malinauskas and Chris Picton should be taking responsibility for Labor’s shameful record, presiding over the worst ambulance ramping figures in South Australia’s history, despite their election promise to fix it."

SA Ambulance Service responses were longer than the national average, according to the report. 

While more than 42% of South Aussies waited at least four hours in the emergency department, a sharp increase on the previous year.

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