A leading specialist has called on the community to help tackle the alcohol abuse crisis resulting in the flooding of Canberra’s emergency departments every weekend.
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons ACT trauma chair Dr Ailene Fitzgerald said alcohol related traumas were totally preventable, making them even more tragic.
The medical fraternity have thrown their weight behind the proposal to stop licensed venues serving alcohol after 3am.
The number of ambulances summoned to licensed venues in Canberra every month have almost doubled compared to 5 years ago, and nearly one in eight emergency department presentations on Australia Day was alcohol related.
According to data, alcohol related presentations are on the rise, and young people are the most affected.