Ambulance services
Tim BULL (Gippsland East) (14:22): My question is to the Minister for Health. Recently an Orbost woman suffered a life-threatening brain haemorrhage. The first call to 000 was made by a GP at 12:13 am. They called again 12 minutes later when the woman was unconscious. Because the Orbost ambulance was ramped, family members had to take the woman to the Orbost hospital. She then waited a further 3 hours to be transferred to Bairnsdale hospital. The woman’s son, who is a paramedic, has said that most who experience brain haemorrhage will either die or have a long-term disability. The son asks why the Allan Labor government failed his mother.
Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:23): I thank the member for Gippsland East for his question. As is the practice in the house, I will not be commenting on individual cases, but I am very happy, if the member wants to provide me with details, to follow them up, as is the commitment that I make to every member of this place. I have said that many times. I am very happy to find out exactly what has happened here and be able to report that back to the member.
Tim BULL (Gippsland East) (14:24): My supplementary question is that the bush nursing centre in Swifts Creek recently treated a patient who needed an urgent transfer to hospital. It took an ambulance 4 hours to arrive at that bush nursing centre, due to ramping. Nurses used four cylinders of oxygen on the patient and were concerned they would run out before the ambulance arrived. Will the minister now commit to fund the desperately needed emergency department expansion at the Bairnsdale regional hospital?
Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:24): I thank the member for the question. Again he has raised matters that relate to an individual case, and I am very happy if the member wants to provide me with details to find out exactly what has happened here. But what I will say –
Tim Bull: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the question was actually whether the minister would fund the expansion of the emergency ward at the Bairnsdale hospital.
The SPEAKER: I am aware of the question. The minister had only commenced. The minister has time to answer the question. I ask her to come back to the question.
Mary-Anne THOMAS: It was my pleasure recently to visit Bairnsdale hospital. I want to thank the hardworking healthcare workers up there for everything that they do. Right now the challenge that we have is the unprecedented demand on our public hospital system, demand that has been caused both by COVID and by the failure of the previous federal Liberal–National government to properly fund primary care in this state.
Tim Bull: On a further point of order, Speaker, the question simply requires a yes or no answer, and I ask you to bring the minister back to answering that question.
The SPEAKER: I cannot direct the minister how to answer the question. The minister has concluded her answer.