A MELTON woman whose mother died five days after waiting several hours for an ambulance says the state government is putting lives at risk by failing to improve emergency services.
Joanne Vella’s mother, Liliana Mizzi, needed an ambulance after suffering a stroke at a local aged care facility on October 8 last year.
After waiting four hours, Ms Vella drove her mother to the Sunshine Hospital where she was immediately treated by doctors but died five days later.
“It’s not the paramedics’ fault. They’re just doing their job, but the government has to realise that emergency services save lives and the government is putting lives at risk by not having enough of these services,” Ms Vella said.
“I’m angry because mum was only 78. We had just finished all her specialist appointments with oncologists and cardiac appointments and they all gave her a good bill of health.”
Ms Vella said her mother had undergone a mastectomy a few years ago after battling breast cancer. She also had a triple bypass in 2005.
“She was happy, she was looking forward to my nephew’s wedding in March and her great-grandchild was being born in April,’’ Ms Vella said.
“She was like a new person, she’d beaten the odds. She was looking so healthy.” Ms Vella has written to Ambulance Victoria, asking why her mother’s case was not given higher priority.
Ambulance Victoria group manager Graeme Parker said the case was being reviewed and a meeting would be set up with Ms Vella to discuss the outcome.
“A preliminary review shows that we received a call on the non-emergency bookings line,” he said. “The patient at the time of the call was described as stable.”
On May 14, the Weekly reported that Melton and Moorabool ambulance stations often went unstaffed and local paramedics were working shifts of up to 16 hours.
The Ambulance Employees Association is demanding better resources and is seeking a 30 per cent pay increase for paramedics.
Paramedics launched a petition last week demanding Premier Denis Napthine value their work in light of a recent pay increase for state MPs.
The petition gained more than 2000 signatures within two days.
Health Minister David Davis’s spokesman said the government and Ambulance Victoria remained committed to talks with the union and paramedics.
