Health system
Ms RYAN (Euroa) (14:14): My question is to the Minister for Ambulance Services. Max Perry of Kilmore was recently taken by his daughter to his local hospital with signs of a heart attack. The hospital had no available beds for Mr Perry. He was told he would have to get an ambulance to Melbourne. He then had to wait two hours for an ambulance from Woodend, nearly 50 kilometres away, because there were no ambulances available in Wallan, Kilmore, Broadford or anywhere closer to Kilmore. How is it acceptable to the minister that a Victorian suffering from a heart attack has to wait 2 hours for an ambulance to arrive because resources are so stretched?
Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:15): I thank the member for Euroa for her question. I send my best wishes to Max Perry, the constituent whose issue she has raised here today. I do need to make the point that in the case of a person like Mr Perry he will be prioritised through Ambulance Victoria services, and every decision that is taken will be in the best interests of Mr Perry and trying to get him the service that he needs as quickly as possible. As I always do, if the member for Euroa wishes to share the details with me, I am happy to follow this issue up for her.
Members interjecting.
The SPEAKER: The member for South-West Coast is warned.
Ms RYAN (Euroa) (14:16): Once Mr Perry was finally in an ambulance to Melbourne it was discovered that there were no beds available in any public hospital until Parkville. In fact Mr Perry had to use his private health insurance to get a bed at Melbourne Private Hospital in the city centre. How has it got to this, where there are no public hospital beds available for a Victorian suffering a heart attack?
Ms THOMAS (Macedon—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:16): I thank the member for her question. I will make this point again: our health system has been under unprecedented pressure, and this is being experienced not just here in Victoria but right around the nation and indeed around the world. Every day our healthcare workers, our paramedics, our emergency doctors, our intensive care nurses and our cardiologists are working to deliver the best and most timely care that they can, and indeed they would have been working always with the best interests of Mr Perry in mind at all times, to get him the health care that he needed. I would make this point: our government are implementing a pandemic repair plan, $12 billion of investment, and we have also— (Time expired)
Mr Battin interjected.
The SPEAKER: The member for Gembrook is warned. I call for a ministers statement the Minister for Industry Support and Recovery.