The Tasmanian Government will always back our healthcare workers who make clinical judgements every single day, often under very challenging circumstances when people call 000.
Minister for Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Bridget Archer, said when patients are not assessed as requiring an emergency ambulance response, Ambulance Tasmania's Secondary Triage service will consider alternative care pathways and transport options.
"These decisions are made by highly trained clinical staff and only when clinically safe and appropriate to do so, and it is appalling that politicians from Labor and the Greens would use Parliament to attack them," Minister Archer said.
"I trust our frontline workers to make these calls - they're trained and experienced in exactly this and we won't allow politicians from Labor and the Greens to overrule their clinical judgement."
Minister Archer said taxis are sent in less than one per cent of cases and are used commonly across the country for non-emergency patient transport, with Victoria sending around 76 a day.
"If you call for an ambulance during a life-threatening emergency, you will get one. But not all calls to 000 are for life-threatening emergencies and while we absolutely would never discourage anyone from calling 000, we do need to ensure that life-threatening or serious health emergencies are prioritised," Minister Archer said.
"If our healthcare workers decide that people don't need an ambulance, and they need assistance to travel - we will step in and help them."
