South Australian paramedics are speaking out against issues plaguing the state’s health sector. 

The Ambulance Employees Association (AEA) is addressing a parliamentary inquiry to give insight on an ambulance service that it says is critically underfunded and overstretched.

Many workers say they are worried about the safety of their own families in the event that they might need an ambulance.
“It's absolutely devastating and there are people that are dying out there right now,” Ambulance Employees Association (AEA) general secretary Leah Watkins said ahead of the inquiry. 

Response times keep growing alongside staff overtime, while paramedics say they are missing breaks, the AEA submission to the Legislative Review Committee on SA Ambulance Service resourcing says.

The AEA says ambulances are not funded based on current and projected demand.

“The ambulance service needs to be funded for the work that it does. Currently, it's not,” Ms Watkins said.

“The funding model is broken in that it was set up for a system that existed 20-30 years ago and not set up for the type of services the ambulance service is providing today.”

The South Australian Ambulance Service says it is trying to reduce the issues by recruiting more experienced paramedics and doubling its intake of interns.

“SAAS works hard to ensure ambulance availability and coverage and additional ambulance shifts have been created to provide a better match for our ambulance demand,” it said in a statement.

The state’s Liberal government says it is filling the gaps.

“The Marshall government addressed these issues by announcing an additional 74 full-time-equivalent (FTE) ambulance officers in last year's state budget. Of this, 50 FTE have already commenced on SAAS rosters and are already making a difference,” Health Minister Stephen Wade said in a statement.