The union said ambulances should have attended both patients within 16 minutes.
It follows the deaths of two patients last Monday who the union said again waited too long for help. The SA Ambulance Service is also investigating those.
Marshall this morning said it was “obviously very sad news… and my thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of those two people who have passed”.
“Obxjmtzywviously there’s a review which is underway at the moment, we’ll wait for that result,” he said.
“We don’t know whether the delay in getting ambulances there was a contributing factor (to the deaths).
“Obviously we want to end ramping in South Australia, we want to end delays through our hospital system and that’s why we’ve got record investment into this area at the moment.”
The issue dominated the first part of a press conference that Marshall had called to spruik job opportunities in South Australia – standing next to local-based tech company Pernix which today put out a call to fill 100 positions needed to expand its business.
“This election is all about who you trust to deliver a stronger future and also create more job opportunities – exciting job opportunities for the next generation,” Marshall said.
“And the choice couldn’t be clearer: a continuing proven Liberal government which has got a strong economy moving in South Australia, a strong recovery from COVID or going to a politically opportunistic Labor Opposition who are spending recklessly at the moment, and we all know what that means – it means taxpayers in South Australia are going to be paying through the nose come Saturday if Peter Malinauskas becomes the Premier.”
Malinauskas was keen to keep the focus on health today – announcing $900,000 over three years to support three new 24-hour community pharmacies to “provide medication and care when South Australian families most need it and help reduce pressure on hospitals”.
“When we see the crisis on the ambulance ramps, we need a comprehensive plan and pharmacy has an important role to play,” he said.
“For every South Australian parent that’s woken up in the middle of the night and their youngest has got an earache and you’ve just run out of paracetamol or whatever it may be, it’s a frustrating experience and Labor has a plan to address it.
“Labor in government I can announce will deliver three 24-hour, seven-day-a-week pharmacies across metropolitan Adelaide – one in the northern suburbs, one in central Adelaide and one in the southern suburbs.”
