A growing number of paramedics are leaving the job due to the impacts of post-traumatic stress disorder. One north Queensland paramedic is calling for greater support much like that given to veterans from the Australian defence force.
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00:00 For paramedic Peter Vinicome it was one horrific night almost two years ago that lifted the
00:08 lid on 19 years of accumulated trauma.
00:11 I got attacked and feared for my life.
00:15 His sleep suffered and his mental health spiralled.
00:18 There was lots of triggers and I entered a depression.
00:22 He's receiving work cover but is worried that when the support ends final compensation will
00:28 be inadequate.
00:29 He's not alone.
00:30 I basically broke down at the station and had a complete emotional collapse.
00:36 Peter Solomon spent more than 20 years with the QAS.
00:40 He was found to be 8% permanently impaired and offered a payout of $47,000.
00:47 But since abandoning a civil case against the service he's been left with nothing.
00:52 Queensland Ambulance officers no longer have to show it was the job which caused mental
00:57 injury.
00:58 But if they want greater compensation they have to pursue the service for negligence
01:02 which is difficult to prove.
01:04 We continually work with our frontline first responders to make sure they've got the supports
01:09 that they need.
01:10 The Queensland Ambulance Service says the psychological welfare and wellbeing of staff
01:15 is a top priority.
01:16 A spokesperson said assessments and payments relating to this process are completed in
01:22 accordance with legislation and are made independently from the Queensland Ambulance Service.
01:28 Some paramedics want to see a system like the Defence Force Gold Card which takes care
01:32 of medical expenses.
01:34 We don't make our Defence Forces sue the Defence Force for going to war and being injured with
01:41 PTSD.
01:42 We accept it as the cost of looking after those that serve.
01:46 The union says beyond the trauma of the job, ballooning hours and overtime shifts are contributing.
01:51 When you don't feel supported at work or you've had a really bad shift, you're not well enough
01:56 to go to work the next day.
01:57 So they're finding a higher level of absenteeism.
02:00 I don't regret a single day of my career but I regret the cost it's having on my family
02:07 and I regret the cost it's having on myself personally.
02:09 [BLANK_AUDIO]