A MOAMA woman in severe pain and needing urgent medical attention was told to take a taxi to Echuca hospital after waiting more than an hour for an ambulance.
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The incident on a Sunday night in late April provoked debate about the reliance of Moama residents on Ambulance Victoria at Murray River Council’s May meeting, with the closest NSW Ambulance station in Deniliquin.
“You pay your ambulance fee and you expect an ambulance to arrive,” the woman said.
“Echuca’s ambulance covers such a broad area by itself, I don’t know how it’s meant to cope.
“Moama probably needs its own station now.”
The incident was revealed during the meeting by Cr Tom Weyrich, who said it was proof Ambulance Victoria could no longer adequately service residents in Moama.
“When you need an ambulance, to be told there is not one available is unacceptable at every level for everybody that lives in the Murray River Council,” he said.
“I’m tired of being a second-class citizen living in a town paying my taxes the same as everybody else does in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong.
“It is imperative we get our own ambulance station.”
Cr Nikki Cohen also shared an incident she said had tarnished the experience of a visitor to town.
“On the weekend a lady hit her head on a bus and had a three-inch, really deep gash,” she said.
“They got everyone else off the bus and she waited for over an hour lying on the floor of the bus for an ambulance.
“I don’t think this is good enough. As much as the service from the paramedics is wonderful and they do the best job they can, I agree we need to stamp our feet and start doing something.”
It’s not the first time the issue has been raised: in 2013 a woman with fluid on her lungs had to wait an hour and a half for paramedics from Echuca to arrive, renewing calls for Moama to have its own station.
In the first three months of this year across Echuca-Moama, patients waited an average of 10.28 minutes — more than a minute longer than the same period the year before.
Paramedics responded to 85.4 per cent of 226 Code One calls within 15 minutes, compared to 88.8 per cent of 205 calls the same time the year before.
A spokesperson for NSW Ambulance said it worked closely with Ambulance Victoria along the border to deliver the “best possible care” to residents.
“In most cases, Ambulance Victoria is the agency that responds to incidents located in the town of Moama, due to the Echuca Ambulance Station being five kilometres from Moama,” the spokesperson said.
They did not comment on whether an ambulance station in Moama was being considered.
“A range of criteria are considered by NSW Ambulance when planning its services to ensure optimal response times for patients throughout the state, and in some cases for patients in Victoria,” the spokesperson said.
Echuca’s 24/7 ambulance station opened in 2017 and extra resources are deployed to the town during busy periods such as Easter and over summer.
“Regardless of where the patient is located, when a patient’s condition requires an ambulance we work alongside NSW to ensure the most appropriate resource is deployed,” Ambulance Victoria Loddon Mallee regional director Tess Tuohey said.
“This model of delivering services is used at our state borders, and by ambulance services across Australia.
“We do everything we can to reach patients in a timely manner.
“While we are unable to comment on specific cases, we are currently reviewing the available information and hope to speak with the people involved.”
In April, state Member for Murray Helen Dalton wrote to NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard appealing for an ambulance station to be built and received no response.
She said she had also raised the issue with the Cross Border Commissioner.
“Moama desperately needs its own ambulance station, it’s a growing town,” Ms Dalton said.
“The NSW Government’s default strategy of bludging off Victorian health services does not work.
“It’s only a matter of time before someone dies.
“In the meantime, we need a rock-solid agreement with Echuca to ensure ambulances can cross the border and prioritise our residents.”
Cr Gen Campbell said the town’s growth rate of eight per cent indicated an ambulance station in Moama was warranted.
“It’s something, along with the new police station, this town’s been needing for a long time,” she said.
“Our ambulance, police and firefighters are dedicated and respected for their diligence to their communities and we all thank them for playing such a pivotal role.”
The council resolved to write to Cross Border Commissioner James McTavish regarding the lack of ambulance services.
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