Health adviser’s bitter pill

By Dion Teasdale
AMBULANCE response times in the Yarra Valley have become the focus of a war of words between the State Government and the Opposition.
The verbal stoush was triggered last week by comments made by Health Minister Bronwyn Pike’s media adviser, Ben Hart.
Mr Hart was speaking on the Minister’s behalf about the Government’s record on outer metropolitan ambulance response times.
He said: “Nobody expects that somebody wanting an ambulance in Warburton is going to get it as quickly than if they were in Carlton.”
Shadow Health spokeswoman Helen Shardey said she was stunned by Mr Hart’s remarks.
“That’s fine if you live in North Melbourne but like most Victorians who live in the outer suburbs, the waiting time for a lifesaving ambulance in many cases has blown out to half-an-hour or more,” she said.
Mrs Shardey said ambulance response time in less densely populated parts of Melbourne, such as in Lilydale and Healesville, can be up to three times longer than anticipated.
She said there had been at least 13 code one incidence in Warburton where response times exceeded a 30 minutes.
“Labor’s message is simple – if you live anywhere outside the inner city area, you’d better not wait to be saved,” Mrs Shardey said.
However, Mr Hart defended his comments and the Government’s commitment to improving ambulance response times in the Yarra Valley.
“People in outer metropolitan and rural areas don’t expect there to be a Royal Children’s Hospital in every town,” he said.
“Of course, everyone in Victoria, no matter where they live, has right to expect that if they call an ambulance, one will come as quickly as possible.”
Mr Hart said no government anywhere could be expected to provide the same level of service in rural and semi-rural areas as in city areas.
“This doesn’t mean the Government doesn’t strive to expand services in outer metropolitan areas, like the Yarra Valley,” he said.
Mr Hart admitted ambulance response times in the Yarra Valley were too high and said the Government was determined to address this.
Mr Shardey said a Liberal Government would inject $15.7 million into the Metropolitan Ambulances Service.