Dr Christian Rowan MP, the State Member for Moggill, says that the tragic incident at a New South Wales hospital resulting in the shooting of a police officer and security guard is a reminder that arming Queensland’s ambulance officers would be a costly mistake.
Dr Rowan said the Palaszczuk Labor Government needed to urgently
back away from the ill-conceived idea to arm Queensland Ambulance Service officers with tasers.
“Our ambulance officers should not be armed at all and any move to
do so would put the safety of officers and patients at risk,” Dr Rowan said.
“Unfortunately, what we have seen overnight in New South Wales is
that sometimes our emergency staff fall victim to violent attacks and providing paramedics with tasers or other weapons increases the risk that they could be used against them.
“Patient treatment is the priority, it’s what our professional ambulance officers are best at, that’s why we must continue have a focus on the best medical care not security and weapons training.
“Labor needs to stand up and reject Health Minister Cameron Dick’s
hare-brained idea to get paramedics to do the job of police.”
Dr Rowan said Labor’s focus on periphery issues rather
than running our hospitals properly was holding back Queensland’s health
system.
“These kind of outlandish ideas are not only a distraction of our ambulance officers but, if the government follows through with them, also pose very real dangers,” he said.
“I acknowledge the safety of paramedics is a very difficult issue to solve but this idea, even as a potential solution will dramatically alter the role of paramedics and could place them in even greater danger.”
