Alarm at paramedics being able to declare death without doctor

By REBECCA WALSH

Auckland police doctors are alarmed at a plan which allows ambulance paramedics to determine if a person is dead without calling in a doctor.

They say the practise is unsafe and fear people could be "locked inside mortuary fridges" while they are still alive.

But police and St John Ambulance are confident advanced paramedics have the skills.

In a letter to Auckland district police commanders, Dr Peter Boot questioned the safety of the plan, saying, "Levels of skill vary, especially as one goes further from the main centres and at unsociable hours". He asked whether it was simply about cost-cutting.