OPINION
St John has apologised for any distress caused by an injured football player having to wait two hours for an ambulance that was first not thought to be needed then diverted to another emergency
on the way. People tending to the player at Gordon Spratt Reserve in Pāpāmoa on Saturday feared she could have been paralysed permanently.
Read more: St John ambulance delays: Pāpāmoa footballer waited two hours for treatment
This has been going on for years and it's time for it to stop. New Zealanders (and health staff) deserve a fit for purpose, fully-funded ambulance service run by professionals. We had a similar experience on the weekend - a grown man screaming in agony and going into shock, only to get a 'we will get someone to call you back within half an hour' response from dispatch. People need to wake up and realise that if they need an ambulance they're not going to get one in a timely manner unless there is a significant structural change in how NZ manages and funds its ambulance service. Ambulance staff are gods - their wages and conditions under this system are also a disgrace.
- Megan C
Why is this service, like Plunket, still a charity? Why is it not fully funded by the taxpayer? I'm happy to pay for it. This is 2022.
- Jim S
It's a sad story for NZ, when our emergency services can't do their job. I needed an ambulance recently, first time in 23 years - but alas none was available. At the Emergency Department, five ambulances backed up waiting for hours to drop off patients because there were no beds. Five ambulances that couldn't get back out there to do the emergency care.
- Kate N