Due to a chronic health care crisis, taxis have been sent to thousands of emergency callers instead of ambulances.
The South Australia Ambulance Service (SAAS) transported more than 4,000 patients in taxis between January 2021 and April last year due to a major problem with the ramp.
Ramping occurs when ambulances cannot transfer patients directly to hospital emergency departments because they are operating at full capacity, meaning they can no longer transport more patients.
On average, the vehicles transported approximately 36 patients requiring care per week, at a cost of more than $120,000.
Taxis were used for people needing non-urgent care so that paramedics could attend emergencies The advertiser reported
The vehicles were deployed to various areas across South Australia, including rural communities, to help manage the increasing number of people requiring medical attention.
South Australia Ambulance Service transported more than 4000 patients in taxis to cope with health crisis
The SAAS has been bogged down by a major crisis that reached a record 4,285 hours in November last year, prompting the SAAS to introduce the taxis in 2020, with the service scheduled to begin in 2021.
The issue comes after a man died in Adelaide’s north-east in December after waiting 10 hours for an ambulance due to abdominal pain.
He was initially listed as a low priority case, requiring an ambulance to arrive within an hour, but paramedics were unable to arrive in time due to crowds at hospitals.
During the third and final call to emergency services, the 54-year-old’s condition was listed as category one – a top priority case, where an ambulance arrived within four minutes but he could not be saved.
The SAAS said in a statement that taxis are not used to replace ambulances to provide critical care.
The SAAS introduced the taxis in 2020 and the service started in 2021 with ambulances (pictured) bogged down by a major staging problem, forcing the vehicles to be docked at hospitals
“Instead, they are occasionally provided to patients who have received a clinical assessment from a specialist paramedic and require transport to access healthcare, but do not require an ambulance,” a spokesperson told us. The advertiser.
“The ambulance service is based on the urgency and severity of the medical situation, with priority given to ensure those with the most urgent needs receive emergency care first.”
The taxi service is believed to have strict patient safety rules in place to care for patients, with members of the SAAS having issued guidance to staff on how to safely use taxis to transport patients.
SAAS says it is committed to improving ambulance waiting times and says it has increased its capacity to respond to emergencies by increasing the number of paramedics by 171 staff.
The SAAS said in a statement that taxis are not used to replace ambulances and paramedics (photo stock image) to provide critical care.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted SAAS for further comment.
A government spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the taxis arranged by SAAS are an alternative for patients whose conditions are not life-threatening.
“The Malinauskas Government is making a record investment in South Australia’s ambulance service through 36 new ambulances, 350 additional ambos and 10 brand new stations across the state,” the spokesperson said.
‘This has led to major improvements in Priority 1 and Priority 2 ambulance response times.’
‘We are also opening an additional 150 hospital beds this year, with more to come in 2025, to ensure greater capacity in our hospitals and free up ambulance resources to meet the needs of the community.’