When reports surfaced that up to nine ambulances were ramped at Goulburn Valley Health for as long as nine hours a couple of weeks ago, it ignited criticism of the state government.
State Member for Northern Victoria Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell described the situation in the immediate days afterwards as unacceptable.
“While ambulance ramping is caused by several factors, the reality is that on budget day last week there was not a single ambulance available in Shepparton, Numurkah or Tatura for several hours because they were all stuck at GV Health,” Ms Tyrrell said.
“It is unacceptable that, at the same time, the treasurer announced a cut of $20 million in ambulance services for the 2024-25 financial year.”
However, the Victorian Government has hit back, pointing at to the Victorian Budget 2024/25 which the government said builds on the more than $2 billion invested in Ambulance Victorian since 2014-15 with $146 million over the next four years to ensure Victorians get adequate and timely care.
"Health services right across the world have experienced unprecedented pressure as a result of the pandemic – that is why we’ve made record investments in our health system to support and grow our workforce, and connect Victorians to the right care to free up our paramedics for the most urgent cases," a government spokesperson said.
"We value the dedication and hard work that our paramedics do every day – they play a critical role in keeping Victorians healthy and safe, and we thank them for their service to the state."
The state government has pointed out that the health system is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and that Ambulance Victoria has seen a surge of patients in recent months with the January-March 2024 quarter alone recording 96,484 Code 1 call outs.
This represents a 4.4 per cent increase compared to the same quarter last year.
The government is also reminding Victorians to save Triple Zero (000) for emergencies and consider alternative care pathways for less urgent health needs, such as the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, NURSE-ON-CALL, Priority Primary Care Centres, or their GP or pharmacies.
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