By NATALIE GALLENTI
MELTON City residents are waiting longer for ambulances to arrive at medical emergencies.
Recent figures released by the Shadow Minister for Health Wade Noonan revealed Melton residents were waiting 13.47 minutes on average for an ambulance between January to June 2012.
This is an increase of 3.07 minutes compared to figures released in 2009-10.
But Bacchus Marsh and Hillside residents are even worse off with waiting times of 15.41minutes and 15.28 minutes respectively.
Rockbank residents’ wait increased by 2.56 minutes from 10.2 to 13.16 minutes.
Nr Noonan said the figures revealed Melton has seen response times blow-out by more than 25 per cent.
“These figures, from the first six months of 2012, reveal that ambulances are taking longer to reach car accidents and heart attack victims in need of life saving assistance,” Mr Noonan said.
“Delays in patient handover processes at hospitals are taking ambulances off the road for longer than ever before,” Mr Noonan said.
Melton City mayor Kathy Majdlik said she was not surprised by the figures.
Cr Majdlik said residents were forced to travel to Sunshine Hospital if they required emergency medical assistance.
She said the council would continue to strongly advocate for a regional hospital in Melton.
“We’re one of the fastest growing communities and we don’t have a hospital,” Cr Majdlik said.
Cr Majdlik said a petition that was launched in 2010 had already received thousands of signatures from supportive residents who were calling out for better medical services in the area.
“I don’t think there would be one member of the community who would say we don’t need a hospital.”
