You have to be tough to be a Paramedic. Al Qvist has been working as Paramedic for five years and seen some horrific sights. But there was one particular call out that helped to send him over the edge. It was 1995 when he attended the scene of a man with Aids who had jumped in front of a train in Sydney - the man's body was cut in half but when he shone his torch on his face, he was still alive and spoke to him. He was covered in blood and was naturally frantic to find out if he'd contracted the Aids virus. Two weeks later he was severely beaten by two patients. When he asked for counselling, the Ambulance Service was unsympathetic but did send him to a psychiastrist. Shortly after, he slowly slipped into a deep depression and tried to kill himself.
His wife says he felt totally helpless and alone and desperately needed time off but was refused. "He was a mess and for a while after that he went down into very dark places" she said. He can't be interviewed because staff are not allowed to talk to the media.
I would guess that the bottom line in this story is that his Workers' Compensation claim was rejected. "They said it wasn't their fault" his wife said. "I find it unbelievable, the Ambulance Service is an important part of the health system, yet it just doesn't understand mental health".
In 2007, he almost drowned saving an elderly woman in the Newcastle floods. He has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and is currently on a high-dose of anti-depressants. He is due to receive a bravery award this month for the flood rescue.
There are so many negative reports coming out lately about how the Ambulance Service treats their employees - bullying, violence, surely it's time to have a proper investigation to find out just what's really happening. We need to take care of our Paramedics better than this.
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