EXTRAORDINARY State Government health figures have exposed skyrocketing ambulance ramping as the chaos engulfing the Palaszczuk Labor Government sees the Queensland Health Crisis continue to worsen.

The Queensland Health data revealed:
• Queensland ambulances were ramped for 147,000 hours last year.
• Paramedics were ramped with patients for 400 hours every day last year.
• Equivalent of having 40 ambulances and their crews off the road every day.
• 147,000 hours sets an unwanted record for most hours lost.

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli said the new statistics are grim reading for Queenslanders who should be able to rely on the health system.

“This is a shocking new low in the Queensland Health Crisis,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“Queenslanders just want an ambulance to turn up when they call triple zero and paramedics didn’t sign up for a career to sit in the back of an ambulance for an entire shift.

“Our paramedics, doctors, nurses and allied health professionals are world class clinicians, being let down by a tired third-term government.

“Paramedics want to be on the road assisting Queenslanders in their hour of need, not double parked at a hospital.

“The LNP has put solutions on the table including delivering more resources, improving triaging, real-time data monitoring and giving power back to local doctors and nurses.”

Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates said the clock was ticking for the embattled Health Minister.

“After three terms in office, the Palaszczuk Labor Government has given up on listening and the Health Minister should have been sacked months ago,” Ms Bates said.

“Every day she is there, the Queensland Health Crisis gets worse and Queenslanders are paying the price. She’s got to go.

“As a nurse and former hospital administrator, I know how frustrating it is for patients and paramedics being ramped all day.

“Under Labor, ramping is the worst in the nation, bed block is rife, ambulance bypass has returned, surgery waitlists have blown out and patients are waiting more than 24 hours in the emergency department for treatment.

“All Queenslanders deserve a world class health system no matter where they live.

“My message to paramedics is simple. We thank you, we respect you and we value what you do.”