AMBULANCES are wasting almost 1300 hours a month stuck outside major western suburbs hospitals, new figures reveal.
The state opposition claims Ambulance Victoria documents show ambulances are waiting outside hospitals twice as long under the Napthine government as they did under Labor.
But the government denies the claim.
The documents show that in the last half of last year, ambulances waited 678 hours per month outside Western Hospital and 512 hours per month outside Sunshine Hospital. This was up from 568 hours and 385 hours per month from the last six months of 2011.
Williamstown MP Wade Noonan said ambulances were increasingly being used as “pop-up emergency departments” because Footscray’s Western Hospital was struggling to cope with cuts to the health budget.
“Instead of being able to transfer their patients into the Western Hospital, these documents show that ambulances are stuck outside because the emergency departments are unable to cope.” Mr Noonan said a lack of beds and resources in the state’s hospitals had caused a 121 per cent blow-out in “ramping” since the Coalition won office.
But government spokeswoman Justine Sywak said Mr Noonan was comparing full-year figures with only six months of data. He had failed to take into account pressure and seasonal impacts on the system at different times of the year, and population growth.
“Mr Noonan’s comments are nothing but hypocritical and, as he well knows, the 2010 Auditor-General’s report was highly critical of Labor and his boss, Daniel Andrews, for the crisis he created in the ambulance service.”
Ms Sywak said the government was spending $151 million to recruit 310 new paramedics and 30 patient transport officers.
Ambulance Victoria regional manager Simon Thomson said initiatives were being developed to free up paramedics.
