FRUSTRATED Wyndham paramedics have accused the state government of
trying to “spin” its way out of the ambulance crisis they say is
putting lives at risk.
Health Minister David Davis announced last Wednesday that an
increase in on-road paramedics had led to faster code-one response times
in the outer-west.
But the Ambulance Employees Association said the figures released
by Mr Davis were limited to the “50th percentile”, which hides the worst
response times by wiping out the slowest 25 per cent.
“When you calculate the 90th percentile, they have blown out
considerably,” union spokesman Danny Hill said. “Half the data is only
half the picture.”
Arguing the figures don’t “reflect the reality for paramedics or
patients”, Mr Hill cited a callout on Sunday morning, when an elderly
Wyndham Vale man with pneumonia who was struggling to breathe had to
wait more than three hours for an ambulance.
The union has been calling on the government to improve ambulance
resources, reduce transfer times and give its members a 30 per cent rise
so their pay is in line with that of paramedics in other states.
Hoppers Crossing paramedic Robert Lasslett said that on Friday
night he was transporting a low-risk patient to Werribee Mercy Hospital,
but the ambulance was diverted because the hospital was on ‘‘bypass’’,
meaning it was too busy.
Sunshine Hospital was also jammed, the Western Hospital had eight
ambulances waiting with patients on stretchers outside and the Royal
Melbourne Hospital was reporting two-hour delays.
“Our best option was St Vincent’s,” Mr Lasslett said. “It took us out of our area for an hour and a half.’’
Ambulance Victoria group manager Tony
Elliott said the service had increased resources in the outer-west this
year and planned to add more in Werribee and Melton early next year.
