Ambulance Victoria is reviewing a case after a Bacchus Marsh woman had to take a taxi to Ballarat Base Hospital in severe pain when no ambulances were available on Monday morning.
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Speaking on radio station 3AW, Andrew Porter said he found his son’s girlfriend in foetal position on a bed about 7.30am.
She was on the phone to an emergency services operator, who had said they would send a taxi as there was a two-hour wait for an ambulance, according to Mr Porter.
“I said, give me the phone,” Mr Porter said.
“I took the phone off her and started to talk to the operator and said, what are you doing, sending a taxi?
“She’s chronically ill, she’s in extreme pain, she’s an ambulance member – this is what we pay for – send an ambulance ... and he said, mate, she’s not having a stroke or a heart attack, we’re sending a cab.”
Mr Porter said it took about 30 minutes for a taxi to arrive from Ballarat.
The taxi driver then drove back to Ballarat with the woman, who had started to vomit, Mr Porter said.
Mr Porter said she was still in pain when she got to Ballarat Base Hospital.
“I thought the operator was cavalier, flippant – I was really surprised at the tone on the other end of the phone,” he said.
In response, Ambulance Victoria’s executive director of emergency operations, Mick Stephenson, said the case would be reviewed.
“We will contact the patient as part of this review to discuss any concerns,” he said.
It’s believed Ambulance Victoria covered the cost of the taxi from Bacchus Marsh to Ballarat.
The woman remains in hospital and has been diagnosed with a severe bladder and urinary tract infection.
The incident comes after the problem of ramping has returned to Victorian hospitals, with ambulances lining up outside emergency wards to drop off patients amid a record-breaking flu season.
Mr Stephenson said Ambulance Victoria had recently reviewed its responses to all cases to ensure patients received the right care.
“Less urgent callers undergo additional questioning from paramedics or registered nurses, who can identify whether alternative care better matches the need of the patient,” he said.
“This can include a visit from a local GP, non-emergency transport, self-care at home or in exceptional cases a taxi.
“This has enabled a quicker response time to people experiencing a time-critical, life-threatening emergency.
“All calls to triple-0 are assessed on their severity, and Ambulance Victoria always prioritse emergency ambulances to the sickest patients first.”
