Melbourne woman dies after waiting six hours for ambulance
Victoria’s overwhelmed emergency departments are in the spotlight after a woman died while waiting more than six hours for an ambulance.
The Melbourne woman called an ambulance on Wednesday night after feeling light-headed, numb, and dizzy at about 8pm, The Age reporter Paul Sakkal told Today.
The ambulance told her in a text message they would not be there on time. They tried to call her several other times, but raised no response.
A woman was found dead after waiting more than six hours for an ambulance in Melbourne. (9News)
The ambulance eventually arrived at her Caulfield North address six and a half hours later to find the woman dead on the bathroom floor.
The Age recently reported that Victoria’s ambulance response times were at their worst point in the past five to six years.
Overcrowded emergency rooms have seen up to 120 ambulances at any one time queued outside of emergency departments, meaning many are being taken off the road and unable to respond to emergency calls.
