THE $242 million the Baillieu government is spending to slash ambulance fees will not save lives and would be better spent on paramedics, according to the Labor opposition.
The comments by Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews come after Ambulance Victoria had a backlog of 47 jobs on Sunday night.
The ambulance union said the shortage forced paramedics to leave patients in hospital waiting rooms and then head off to other emergencies.
The Coalition's promise to halve ambulance subscription fees was one of a series of cost-of-living issues that were credited with helping the Coalition win government at the 2010 state election.
But Mr Andrews said the money could have gone to helping the ambulance service itself. ''Victorians are fast coming to realise that an extra dollar a week in your pocket is nowhere near as important as having a paramedic at your home … to provide you with life-saving care,'' he said.
Mr Andrews conceded the ambulance service was not perfect when Labor left office last November.
Ambulance Victoria chief executive Greg Sassella said the ambulance system was facing extreme pressure, including ramping, when ambulances wait outside a hospital for a bed to be freed up.
Health Minister David Davis hit back at the opposition saying Mr Andrews had missed the point, and the Baillieu government had brought forward $151 million to recruit 340 extra ambulance staff as well as $16 million for new ambulances and stations.
''It's disappointing that Mr Andrews wants to strip Victorians of their right to half-price membership and at the same time rob Ambulance Victoria of much-needed additional resources,'' he said.
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