By NATALIE GALLENTI
PREMIER Denis Napthine was again questioned in Parliament over the crisis facing the State’s ambulance service and the alarming issues paramedics are confronted with each day.
Opposition leader Daniel Andrews raised the case of a Caroline Springs family who were told they would have to wait 30 to 40 minutes for an ambulance while their son choked on a coin.
“I raised the McNally family’s issue directly with the Premier and, like each and every time I have raised the complaints Victorians have with the ambulance service, Mr Napthine has ignored the issue completely,” Mr Andrews said.
“The ambulance system is in crisis when families are told an ambulance won’t be coming when a child is in danger.”
Reports suggest the McNallys were told by 000 to take their son to the nearest medical centre, where their doctor also called an ambulance. The doctor was given the same advice and told there would be a long wait.
Kororoit MP Marlene Kairouz said this latest incident was horrifying for both the child and his family.
“Ms McNally’s son not only had a coin lodged in his throat, he started to gag, which had the potential to make a serious situation a very dangerous one,” Ms Kairouz said.
“No one should have to go through the horror that Ms McNally and her family endured, but under Denis Napthine and David Davis, issues like the ones faced by the McNallys are becoming more common across the state.”
