The Victorian Ambulance Union has condemned the assault of a pregnant paramedic by a patient whose life she had just saved in Melbourne’s north.
Union secretary Danny Hill said the patient was treated for a drug overdose last week and became agitated after being taken to a hospital in the CBD.
“They just literally saved this patient’s life and then, while they were offloading the patient at the hospital they’ve lashed out, punched the paramedic in the head and in the stomach while she’s 12 weeks pregnant,” he said.
Mr Hill said the paramedic and her unborn baby were okay, but the incident had led her to step away from on-road duties.
“She’s made the decision to come off-road, which is really sad because she’s a dedicated paramedic and she wanted to work on-road for as long as she could, but she can’t risk placing her unborn child at the sort of risk that paramedics are facing every day,” he said.
“I think we’ll see a lot come off-road where previously they might have worked up much closer until the end of their pregnancy.”
The latest attack follows another serious incident late last month, when a man allegedly stabbed a paramedic who was ordering a coffee at a cafe in Reservoir.
Ambulance Victoria chief executive Jordan Emery also denounced the assault, calling it the latest example of what he described as an “appalling trend” of violence against first responders.
“The persistent pattern of violence against paramedics and first responders is extremely concerning,” he said.
“I have heard concerns from our people about their safety at work and recognise that last week’s incident, and now this, has compounded that anxiety for all of us.”
Mr Emery said he had met with Ambulance Victoria board chair Andrew Crisp and Mr Hill to discuss a “united approach” to tackling violence against first responders.
“We plead with the community to treat our paramedics and first responders with dignity and respect. Our people who give so much to Victoria deserve nothing less,” he said.
Figures from the Victorian Ambulance Union show paramedics across the state were involved in more than 1,000 hazardous incidents in the last financial year.
After the Reservoir stabbing, the Victorian government asked the Victorian Law Reform Commission for recommendations on how emergency worker harm laws could be strengthened.
