Widower demands answers after husband dies following six-hour wait for ambulance - 9News

Queensland's health system is under fire after a Gold Coast man waited six hours in agony for an ambulance after suffering a fractured pelvis.

Days later he died from unrelated illnesses - and his widower is now demanding answers.

David Terelinck is in mourning for a man who was his rock for more than two decades.

David Terelinck is in mourning for a man who was his rock for more than two decades. (Nine)

"We had a wonderful life together for 24 years. We travelled well, we saw the world," he said.

But that all came crashing down just days ago when his husband Robert Miller passed away.

"I'm just upset that his last six hours at home - in the home that we loved - were spent in agony," Terelinck said.

Terelinck today showed up for Miller at parliament house, alongside the Opposition Leader, claiming the health system failed him.

"I want to do this. Not only for him - to advocate for him - I want to advocate for he people after him" Terelinck said.

Robert Miller passed away from another illness after breaking his pelvis and waiting hours for an ambulance. (Nine)

On June 11 Miller was forced to wait from 9.30am to 3.30pm for an ambulance after fracturing his pelvis in a fall at their Biggera Waters home.

"Eventually they arrived six hours after the event," Terelinck said.

"They picked him up after they had stabilised him. They took him to Gold Coast private Hospital where he was ramped for nearly two hours."

Just days later Robert passed away from unrelated illnesses.

"But as you know with elderly people - the longer you're in acute pain - it wears down your resolve. So I believe it contributed to his early death," Terelinck said.

After calling triple zero four times, Terelinck says operators told him no ambulances were available. 

But Gold Coast Health denies ramping was an issue that day, stating Gold Coast University Hospital had available capacity.

Queensland Ambulance Service said he was taken to Gold Coast Private Hospital on his request. (Nine)

But the Queensland Ambulance Service said: "On June 11, the Gold Coast region was experiencing higher than normal demand for ambulance services" and that "the patient was transported in a stable condition to the Gold Coast Private Hospital as per the patient's request."

Opposition leader David Crisafulli, "the system is buckling under pressure".

"Nobody here is arguing that it's good enough," Premier Steven Miles said.

"And we're just saying that on that particular occasion, our paramedics were responding to more urgent cases, more life threatening cases."

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2024-06-23 09:40:11Z
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