Body Copy: CONCERN over ambulances being unable to reach regional communities for life-threatening cases has been blamed on a lack of funding from the state government.
Ambulance wait times across regional Victoria remain well below the Ambulance Victoria standard of 85 per cent of Code 1 incidents arriving within 15 minutes.
Strathbogie Shire has the lowest success rate of 36.6 per cent of calls meeting the standard.
Euroa MP and opposition spokesperson for health Annabelle Cleeland said the figures stemmed from a lack of support and investment in regional health by the state government.
“The issues within our ambulance services and response times are a symptom of a government that has neglected our healthcare system for too long,” Ms Cleeland said.
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“The stark reality is that our regional health services are really struggling, and this is particularly prominent when looking at our ambulance system.
“Without further investment from government, our regional health care system will continue to fail, and people will suffer.”
Ambulance callouts within all six LGAs within the Euroa electorate do not meet response time targets.
In addition to Strathbogie Shire, Mitchell Shire achieved 51.9 per cent of responses within 15 minutes, with Benalla (58.7pc) and Greater Shepparton (71.9pc) all failing to meet the standard’s target.
A parliamentary inquiry into the performance, workplace culture, and procurement practices of Ambulance Victoria is still seeking submissions from the public.
Ms Cleeland said the Legislative Council Legal and Social Issues Committee will inquire into issues involved with taking calls, dispatch, ambulance ramping, working conditions and workloads of paramedics, allegations of fraud and embezzlement, governance and accountability and the general workplace culture within Ambulance Victoria.
Ms Cleeland encouraged anyone that has experience with Ambulance Victoria, including employees, to have their say.
“This inquiry is a fantastic opportunity for people to share their stories, whether it be paramedics that are concerned with their working conditions or patients that have had a bad experience,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Having heard from both paramedics and patients in our region, it has been made abundantly clear that something has to change.”
Information on the inquiry can be found at https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/ambulancevicinquiry
Submissions close on Friday, February 28, with public hearings scheduled after that date.
