Ambulance response times rose across the state over the first three months of 2021.
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The figures published by Ambulance Victoria showed 75 per cent of Code 1 calls were responded to within 15 minutes. That was down from 82 per cent at the same time in 2020.
In Greater Bendigo the average Code 1 response time during the March 2021 quarter was 13 minutes and 19 seconds.
That was slightly quicker than for the previous three months, but slower than the March 2020 result.
The March 2021 average of 20.18 in the Mount Alexander Shire was a full two minutes slower than the figure 12 months earlier.
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Meanwhile, the state government has committed $759 million to help paramedics and hospitals cope with "unprecedented levels of demand".
The package, part of the state budget, was unveiled by Health Minister Martin Foley on Friday.
He said the state's health system has been dealing with challenges, "the likes of which it's never had to deal with before", since emerging from a prolonged coronavirus lockdown late last year.
"We've seen unprecedented levels of demand over the course of 2020 and now in 2021, where we've seen just in the quarter gone, the highest level of demand in our public health services' history," Mr Foley told reporters.
He said the funds help deliver more paramedics and nurses as well as free up space in the state's emergency department from next month.
- with AAP
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