Ramping death at RAH
A third patient has died amid ramping outside of Adelaide hospital this year.
SA’s Ambulance Employees Association says the patient was ramped for two hours on Friday.
“This is the price of Government inaction,” the association said.
“How many more unnecessary deaths will it take? Urgent action must be taken.”
The SA Ambulance Service says the patient was ramped for 90 minutes before entering the hospital.
Opposition health spokesperson Chris Picton said the male patient had no pulse while still outside the hospital.
“This is completely disgraceful what's happened, our third ramping death this year,” Mr Picton said.
“It shows what a disaster we are seeing in terms of ramping across our system.”
Mr Picton that 19 patients were stuck in emergency departments for more than 24 hours on Monday morning.
Health Minister Stephen Wade said the Government is looking for solutions.
“We are experiencing ongoing pressure at Flinders,” Mr Wade told the ABC.
“We have seen that as we are coming out of our biggest August and September period. We will continue to look at capacity in the south.
“We have already acted in terms of capacity in the south. There are 50 beds in the Repat [Repatriation General Hospital] that wouldn't otherwise have been there. There are 12 short stay beds that we have added to Noarlunga.
“The south is clearly a pressure point in the system; it hasn't recovered as much as other parts. That's why we are putting additional capacity in the south.”
A patient aged in her 90s died in September after waiting more than an hour for treatment, while the Opposition says it has details of another patient who died sometime between February and June this year after being ramped outside the Royal Adelaide Hospital for 45 minutes.
Also over the weekend, power outages hit three major South Australian hospitals.
Mr Wade has confirmed the power went out at the Noarlunga and Lyell McEwin hospitals, and there was a delay in a backup generator turning on at the Royal Adelaide.
“I'm concerned that the backup generators at the Royal Adelaide didn't kick in as planned and with three power events in relatively short succession, I'm very keen to get a full independent report,” he said.