Of the cohort, 44 have been assigned to metropolitan Melbourne, while the rest have been deployed at locations such as Ballarat, Horsham, Daylesford, Gisborne, Irymple and Echuca.
The 64 adds to a group of 54 that started work in June, but of those 118 paramedics, more than 60 per cent are based in the state capital.
“Our paramedics are busier than ever,” Victorian Ambulance Services Minister Gabrielle Williams said.
“That’s why we’re continuing to recruit more of them so they can continue to do what they do best — save lives.
“Victoria’s paramedics have worked tirelessly through the peak winter period.
“They have faced a surge in demand, with more than 1000 code one ‘lights and sirens’ ambulances dispatched across the state each and every day.“
Premier Daniel Andrews said the state was doing its best to bolster the under-pressure service.
“Whether you’re living in the city, the suburbs or regional Victoria — we’re recruiting more paramedics to make sure you get the emergency care you need, when you need it,” he said.
“We’ve also established Priority Primary Care Centres and expanded the Victorian Virtual ED to give Victorians an alternative for when they need urgent, but not emergency care — reducing pressure on our ambos and EDs.”
The confirmation of a new paramedic in Echuca comes a week after state Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh said ambulance times across his electorate were going “from bad to almost terminal”.
“In Campaspe, response times for life-threatening, the highest ranked call, rose three minutes to 24.73 minutes,” he said.
“If you are having a heart attack or a stroke ... this sort of catastrophic failure to perform could literally be a death sentence.”
Mr Walsh said in the next most urgent response codes, Campaspe saw marginal improvements, measured in seconds, not minutes, taking ‘time critical’ and ‘lights and sirens’ to a staggering 31.93 and 31.88 minutes respectively.
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