State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland is calling for specialised Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance units to serve the southern Hume region’s critical healthcare needs.
MICA paramedics, with their advanced training and ability to perform critical medical procedures, are currently unavailable in many parts of the region, leaving a significant gap in emergency care.
In her formal appeal to the Minister for Ambulance Services, Ms Cleeland highlighted how the absence of MICA units puts areas such as Mitchell Shire at a critical healthcare disadvantage.
“The Mitchell Shire, one of the fastest growing parts of our state, does not have a MICA unit to cover a population of more than 50,000 people,” Ms Cleeland said.
“A recent incident at a Coles supermarket car park in Seymour required a MICA air-unit from Essendon because there were no local options available — leaving the patient at risk for an extended period of time.”
While Ms Cleeland pointed to a lack of MICA units in the region, Ambulance Victoria Hume director Steve Doyle disagreed, stating that support was available in Benalla and Seymour, with 24-hour units operating from Wangaratta and Shepparton.
“Consistent with other rural areas, Mitchell Shire and Benalla Rural City Council areas are serviced by paramedics, first responders, air ambulance and our secondary triage teams, which provide care, transport or advice matched to the needs of the patient,” he said.
“The Benalla branch is resourced by crews seven days a week, 24 hours a day, to ensure locals receive the highest level of emergency care.
“Meanwhile, the Mitchell Shire area is resourced by 24/7 teams in Seymour, Kilmore and Wallan, alongside an additional peak period unit crew in Broadford.”
Ms Cleeland revealed a concerning incident where a clinical manager had to be recalled for a child resuscitation, being the sole qualified specialist in the entire Mitchell local government area.
“On their own, this specialist paramedic is already covering an area from Wallan to Seymour, then out to Alexandra,” she said.
“This is completely unacceptable. People suffering from serious medical incidents should not be put at greater risk because the minister has failed to allocate enough resources to our communities.”
The need for MICA units comes as ambulance wait times continue to blow out across the electorate, and ramping issues continue across the region’s major hospitals.
The most recent Ambulance Victoria data indicates alarming shortcomings when it comes to response times for code one emergencies across the region (the most serious and urgent cases).
Ambulance Victoria’s official response time targets are that 85 per cent of code one emergencies are responded to within 15 minutes.
The reality falls drastically short of targets: Benalla sees only 63.9 per cent of responses within 15 minutes, Mitchell Shire a mere 55.5 per cent, and alarmingly, Strathbogie Shire achieves just 32.7 per cent — less than half the target rate.
“Labor cannot manage our ambulance system and our paramedics and those in need of urgent medical help are the ones paying the ultimate price,” Ms Cleeland said.
Mr Doyle said paramedics and first responders had faced the busiest quarter on record, responding to more than 102,000 code one cases — a five per cent increase in demand compared to the same time last year.
“Ambulance Victoria has various specialised teams that work together to ensure all Victorians receive the right care at the right time,” he said.