Qld: Investigation to begin into ambulance body blunder

Paramedics claim relatives of a woman who died in an ambulance on the way to hospital had to wait for two hours on Tuesday outside the Cairns Base Hospital because staff would not accept her body.

It is understood staff at the hospital, in the state's far north, told the paramedics it was official protocol to wait for police to identify the body.

Dr Young said it was the first time she had heard of a case like this.

"No, it's not acceptable," Dr Young told reporters in Brisbane.

"We are investigating that issue, but if that is what happened I have every sympathy for the family - that's not appropriate.

"This has not happened before."