A great grandmother suffering breathing and suspected heart problems was turned away from several Melbourne hospitals because they were either too busy or did not have the resources, it is claimed.
Margaret Gray has had a quadruple bypass and suffers from asthma, yet on Monday she spent more than three hours being shunted between hospitals.
The 85-year-old was picked up by paramedics from a Chelsea nursing home and arrived at Frankston Hospital, only to be told they were on bypass.
A further six hospitals ruled they were either too busy or did not have the facilities to treat the patient, Mr Swales said.
"It's probably the worst time I've ever had trying to get someone into hospital," paramedic Matt Swales 7News.
"Normally we get to the hospital and have to wait, but on this occasion I just couldn't get in the door of the hospital.
"It was very frustrating and it makes me nervous because I can't diagnose in the back of an ambulance. If something happens in the back of my ambulance then I have to deal with it.
"I'm not a doctor...I'm there to provide care and take them to where they can be investigated further.
"The risk with this patient was she was older, had multiple health operations, anything could have happened."
Maroondah Hospital eventually accepted the sick woman, but Mr Swales said the ambulance had spent an hour in a queue due to ramping.
Mr Swales said the issues blighting Victoria's health system are putting lives at risk.
"We work in a situation where the health care system is bad on most days of the week.
"People will die, it's as simple as that.
"They are not getting assessed as quickly as they should do."
Victorian Health Minister David Davis said the Government had invested $76 into improving emergency facilities at Frankston Hospital.
The state's opposition leader Daniel Andrews has accused Premier Denis Napthine of ignoring the 'crisis' in the state's emergency services and has called for an urgent review.
"Denis Napthine must realise that when 85-year-olds are being shunted like pin balls across the health system that, is not health care - that is a health crisis.
"Continually denying that we have a problem within our ambulance service and health system is helping no one.
"The numbers tell this story, paramedics tell this story, patients and their families tell this story of neglect.
"Things are getting worse, not better in our ambulance and health system. Continually denying we have a problem is helping no one."
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