The GSD has issued a statement questioning why the Government has not yet delivered a dedicated ambulance station.

A statement from the GSD follows below:

During the 2019 elections, the Government said that they were “fully committed to delivering a purpose built Ambulance Station that meets the fundamental requirements to operate a professional Emergency  Ambulance Service.” In their 2023 manifesto, they reiterated that commitment, citing COVID as having  “derailed” those plans, and promising that they would “enter into planning discussions with the GHA with a  view to creating a dedicated ambulance station.” Yet, in 2026 our Ambulance Service still operates out of  portacabins in inadequate and unsafe conditions. 

Shadow for Health, Joelle Ladislaus, said: “Our Ambulance Service is the first port of call in any health-related  emergency. The work of a first responder, by its very nature, places extreme demands on the physical and  mental welfare of the individuals tasked with carrying out these roles. But in Gibraltar, even before our  ambulance crews are called to an emergency, they are already having to contend with working from  portacabins that are not fit for purpose, usually used only as a temporary stop-gap measure and which don’t  even have basic amenities like toilets installed within them and are exposed to the elements, whether heat  or the wet and windy conditions of recent days. Enduring working conditions like these, in the face of an  already challenging work environment, will inevitably have an impact on staff morale and wellbeing.  

Whereas the recent weather has been unusually extreme and it is reasonable to expect that there will have  been some damage and consequences arising from it, it still begs the question whether moving the  ambulance service to the fire station would have been necessary if a dedicated Ambulance Station with  adequate facilities had been provided, as promised. 

The women and men of the Gibraltar Ambulance Service show up for us all no matter what the weather, at  all hours of the day, with limited resources, and regardless of their working environment. The least that  Government can do is provide a safe and appropriate space to support these professionals in delivering an  optimal service where patient and staff safety aren’t compromised by a lack of infrastructure which was  promised 7 years ago, and if that comes at the cost of sacrificing vanity projects then so be it.”