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Eastern Victoria residents face long ambulance wait times and response times worsen under Andrews Labor government

Melina Bath says ambulance response times are getting worse, with no local government area meeting the 15-minute KPI for Code 1 emergencies, and calls for improvements.

By news@gippsland - 4th May 2023 - Back to News

Ambulance Victoria performance data released this week shows people living in the Eastern Victoria Region are facing unacceptably long wait times for an ambulance.The Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Melina Bath said Ambulance response times are continuing to deteriorate under Daniel Andrews.

Paramedics work in an unsupported system leading to long wait times for medical attention, prompting a need for improvements to ambulance stations and funding for paramedics and emergency departments

Worsening performance

Ms Bath said, "State wide, one in three Victorians are waiting too long for a paramedic in a Code 1 emergency. Alarmingly, the expected Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of 85 percent of emergency response within 15 minutes is not being met in any local government area (LGA) in my electorate."

"Despite the sustained efforts of our hardworking paramedics, ambulance call out response times are not meeting the mark for Code 1 emergencies.
"In 2018, the Andrews government announced it would cut ambulance response times with the Premier saying 'the system was in crisis'- however, they have got worse not better." Ms Bath said.

Paramedics unsupported

Ms Bath added, "Our dedicated paramedics are working in a system that doesn't support them in the way it should - and Victorians are not receiving the health care they deserve. Victoria's ambulance system is continuing to buckle under Labor's mismanagement. Ambulances are ramping, and in emergencies, patients are waiting unacceptably long times for medical attention or being forced to get to hospital by other means."

"Building promised ambulance stations, updating vehicles, funding more paramedics and fixing chronically underfunded emergency departments must be a priority in the upcoming state budget. It's unacceptable for Labor to continually fail sick and injured Victorians when they are at their most vulnerable." Ms Bath concluded.

Pictures from Ambulance Victoria Facebook page.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com