St John Ambulance NT says a critical situation over the weekend led to nearly half of all emergency triple zero calls “abandoned” due to overwhelming demand, leaving 29 life-threatening emergencies unaddressed for up to five hours, with calls for the Health Minister to take urgent action to keep Territorians safe.

St John Ambulance chief executive Abigail Trewin said the service reached “operational capacity white” for the first time, underscoring significant strains on emergency response resources amidst high demand for medical assistance. Operational capacity ‘white’ indicates a critical failure point in a system where the demand for services exceeds the capability to fulfil it, even with all mitigation strategies applied.

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