South Australian ambulance patients are being given free rides to hospital as part of a dispute over ‘ramping’ allegations.

SA crews are refusing to fill out patient information case cards, meaning patients will not be charged, in a move the Ambulance Employees’ Association believes is costing up to $200,000 a day.

The AEA began the protest action on Thursday after concerns over ‘ramping’ at the Flinders Medical Centre, where paramedics are being forced to wait on ramps with ill patients for hours.

The dispute is now headed for the Industrial Relations Commission

AEA secretary Phil Palmer told media the practice had been going on for eight months, despite talks with hospital management.

Mr Palmer said on Wednesday night a patient with a suspected heart attack was kept waiting for over an hour.

"The norms for any other hospital is a paramedic turns up – within 15 minutes the receiving hospital has taken over – that is not happening at Flinders," he said.

"We want an iron clad guarantee it won’t happen again."

He said the move not only put patients’ lives at risk but also prevented ambulance crews from moving on to attend other emergency work.

Flinders Medical Centre has defended its track record, with its turnaround time now at 29 minutes, the average time for city hospitals.

SA Health said the department had approached the IRC to resolve the dispute.