Using Students As Paramedics A Disgrace

Media release.

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg must give assurances that unqualified students will never again be asked to do the work of highly-skilled paramedics, says Shadow Health Minister Jo-Ann Miller.

“Reports out of the Sunshine Coast that trainees were asked to man crews at the weekend are disturbing to say the least and highlight a crisis in manpower and funding under the Newman Government,” she said.

“Concerns have been raised that two second year students, who should have been observing as part of their training, were asked to fill-in for qualified paramedics when two people rang in sick."

“If the reports from the United Voice Union are true, there was a clear breach of the rules and lives could have been placed at risk as a result. The rules say unpaid ride-along students acting as observers cannot administer any treatment unless under close supervision."

“There should be two qualified paramedics in each vehicle on shift."

“I am advised that greater efforts should have been made to find qualified crew to act as replacements, but budgets are under pressure and the students may have been asked to step-in to save money."

“If that is true then that is a scandalous state of affairs. It should certainly never happen again and I am today calling on the Health Minister to give a categorical assurance that it will not."

“At the weekend it is my belief that patients were potentially placed in danger and both the qualified paramedics and unqualified students were placed under intolerable pressure. The quality of the service to the public was diminished and it is frightening to consider what could have gone wrong.”

United Voice says it has grave concerns that students are being used to fill the gap because there aren’t sufficient qualified officers and that trainees are there to observe and learn, not to act as free replacements for highly qualified staff.