St Johns Director of Ambulance Services Andrew Thomas sheds light on why a Darwin dancer had to wait more than six hours after dislocating her knee on Saturday night, saying there were about 32 call outs during that period, 18 being priority one emergencies with only four ambulances on the roads.

He told Katie Woolf St John’s resources are quite often outstripped by demand, with more staff needed and increasing pressure on the emergency call centre.

Mr Thomas says ramping is also a key problem, with 2,000 hours lost in hospital bays over a 3-month period.

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