Vic parents forced to drive 4yo to hospital after ambulance was ‘too far away’

Ambulance availability dropped to one per cent across Melbourne on Sunday night. 

The parents of a four-year-old girl were forced to drive to the hospital after they were informed an ambulance wouldn’t make it to them in time.

It was in the early hours of Monday morning when the toddler started having difficulty breathing. 

However, after calling emergency services, the Melbourne parents were reportedly told the nearest ambulance was over 50 km away. 

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"Paramedics turn up to work wanting to go out to those cases." Picture: 9News

Parents forced to take 4yo to hospital due to ambulance shortage

Speaking to reporters, Victorian Ambulance Union Secretary Danny Hill said this was not an isolated incident.

He added that ambulance availability had dropped below five per cent every day over the last three weeks, driven by an increase in respiratory illnesses

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With so many paramedics in demand, availability dropped to just one per cent on Sunday night. 

“Every paramedic's heart goes out to the family and what they have [gone] through,” he said per 9News. 

“Paramedics turn up to work wanting to go out to those cases.”

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“Clearly, they have tried everything they could to get to this family, but they were too far away, and there was a big black spot in ambulance resourcing,” he continued.

With recoursing so in demand, Hill said it was a severe sign of what can happen when recourses are too low.

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“That's a terrifying number,” he said. 

“But this case shows the real-life consequences of what that reduction of resourcing means.”

While reports showed the 4yo was taken to the hospital, there are no further updates regarding her condition. 

However, Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said it was “concerning” that parents had no other option when an emergency calls for action. 

“It is all on of us to ensure that our paramedics are there to respond to life-threatening emergencies,” she said. 

“Unfortunately, we don't have any further information in relation to that young girl as her parents opted to drive her to [the] hospital.”

Originally published as Vic parents forced to drive 4yo to hospital after ambulance was ‘too far away’