A disability advocate wheeled herself to hospital after waiting 12 hours for an ambulance, because she was told they couldn't take wheelchairs.

Advocate and lawyer Dr Huhana Hickey, who advises a number of regional health boards, told Andrew Dickens she alerted the Ministry of Health of the issue years ago.

She says they advised in 2019 a way was needed to get wheelchair users to the hospital during the pandemic - and nobody did it.

St John's Stuart Cockburn apologised for the delay, but says ambulances are designed for stretchers and can't safely stow wheelchairs.

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