THE Labor government would upgrade the Ararat Ambulance Victoria branch and appoint the area’s first Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance officers if re-elected.
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In an announcement at the Ararat branch Monday, Regional Development minister Jaala Pulford said that a re-elected Andrews government would provide a $109 million boost for ambulance services across regional Victoria, which would see additional paramedics in Ararat.
Currently the branch has no Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance officers – paramedics with a higher clinical skill set able to perform more advanced medical procedures.
That would change under this plan, which Ararat branch team manager Ambrose Cashin said would not only boost patient outcomes but would have significant follow on benefits too.
“Not only does it equal increased patient care, it makes Ararat a more attractive place to come and work,” he said.
“People thinking of doing the MICA course, they can come and work here with a MICA paramedic on our PAU, and learn all the drugs, learn some of the skill sets, so when they go and do the course they’re more equipped and it will be easier and less taxing on them.
“As a result we’re going to get a better standard of paramedic coming through and a better standard of care.
“There are no losers here.”
Mr Cashin said that under the plan some of the expanded capacities Ararat would have are better paediatric care, respiratory management, and managing people who are unconscious.
“These are all standard standard MICA protocols that they do which helps look after the patients in need,” he said.
“They’ll be better at road trauma, they’ve got more medicines that they can use and more procedures, and a greater drug cabinet that is able to be utilised as patients need it.”
Ms Pulford said that the plan was about ensuring equity in the system for rural patients.
“What it means for a trained paramedic to know they’ve got the same skills and the same equipment to support somebody in a small rural community as somebody would have if they had the same condition Bourke Street is just a fantastic thing,” she said.
Seven full time paramedic equivalent officers would also be appointed to Ararat under the plan, and the government said it would pave the way for 500,000 additional specialist appointments across rural Victoria over the next four years.
