Country Women’s Association petition calls for free ambulance services in Western Australia

WA’s Country Women’s Association has launched an online petition calling for free ambulance transport for all West Australians. The CWA’s focus was particularly on regional WA where it called for the State Government “to adequately fund regional ambulance sub-centres”. Workloads and workplace issues for St John Ambulance volunteers have made headlines in recent months after a parliamentary inquiry triggered a response showing the ambulance provider had to do more in country WA. In the Capes region, that call augured well for introduction of more full-time paid paramedics to support volunteers, with the inquiry finding St John was over-reliant on a volunteer workforce. At the same time, workloads have increased since the start of the pandemic and shortfalls at local hospitals means volunteers were increasingly tied up in costly patient transfers to Bunbury and Perth. CWA State president Anne Gething said greater investment was needed to address a raft of issues. “Many people are shocked to find out after using an ambulance that they have been sent a bill of over $1000 for a lifesaving medical service,” she said. “It is unacceptable that people feel compelled to transport an extremely ill patient to hospital by car, in fear of a large cost. “While there are over 100 regional sub-centres, the vast majority of these are run by volunteers. “This means most regional communities rely on the hard work of country ambulance volunteers to raise funds, purchase lifesaving equipment, and keep ambulances on the road through a combination of fee income, one-off grants, and community fundraising.” The petition is open until October 11 and shadow regional health minister Martin Aldridge will present the petition to Parliament.