Overview
- A Victorian paramedic who is about 12 weeks pregnant was punched in the head and stomach by a patient at a Melbourne hospital while she was on duty, and she has now stepped off road work.
- Ambulance Victoria’s chief executive said crews have clear authority to withdraw from any scene they judge unsafe and to wait for police if needed to protect themselves.
- The ambulance union backed the stance and urged staff to report every incident to police, warning that workers are now forced to weigh their own safety against patient care in volatile situations.
- Leaders cited more than 1,000 hazardous incidents in the past year and recent cases where paramedics were bitten, shoved, or threatened with scissors as evidence of a persistent pattern of violence.
- The state government asked the Victorian Law Reform Commission to advise on strengthening protections for emergency workers, highlighting gaps exposed by a recent cafe stabbing that was not covered because the paramedic was not legally considered on duty.