Dan Andrews under fire as Ambulance Victoria declares 'code red' amid a critical staff shortage - but the Premier says it's not his fault

Ambulance Victoria were forced to issue a 'code red' on Tuesday morning  Came as there were no ambulances available to be deployed to people in need Adds to the ongoing health system crisis that the state is currently experiencingPremier said 150 Ambulance Victoria paramedics were off work on Monday 

Dan Andrews has come under fire after Melbourne’s ambulance services were forced to issue a ‘code red’ on Tuesday morning.

A critical shortage of staff meant there were no ambulances available to be deployed to assist the sick and injured.

The Victorian Premier on Tuesday palmed off blame for the ongoing health system crisis facing the state, insisting the crippling workforce shortage on the heels of the Covid pandemic is due to a downturn in skilled migrants and the flu.

An emergency alert was issued just after midnight for the metropolitan region and was in place until 4am (pictured, ambulance services in Melbourne)

An emergency alert was issued just after midnight for the metropolitan region and was in place until 4am.

Ambulance Victoria is understood to have enforced the code-red alert due to ‘limited fleet availability’.

Meanwhile, Victorian Ambulance Union general secretary Danny Hill said the shock development showed the system was under ‘enormous strain’ and warned the demand wouldn’t stop anytime soon.

‘There’s nothing scarier than the truth, which is that for Melbourne’s entire population at one point last night…no matter how short that time frame was…no ambulances were available to ­respond to an emergency at that particular point in time,’ Mr Hill told The Herald Sun.

‘Paramedics are just so burnt out,’ he added.

Victorian Ambulance Union general secretary Danny Hill said the code showed the system was under ‘enormous strain’ and warned the demand wouldn’t stop anytime soon (pictured, paramedic outside of St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne)

‘We still have major issues with filling shifts and ultimately that leads to less ambulances being able to respond.’

Mr Hill believes that the state, ‘is not even close to being out of this increased demand’.

Premier Andrews responded to the statewide staffing issues at a Rural Press Club lunch at Victoria’s State Library on Tuesday shifting blame away from his government.

‘With Covid-19 and flu spreading widely this winter, 1547 staff across the state’s health system and about 150 Ambulance Victoria paramedics were off work on Monday, Mr Andrews said.

Premier Dan Andrews (pictured) responded to the statewide staffing issues at a Rural Press Club lunch at Victoria’s State Library on Tuesday

Mr Andrews expressed that Australia’s sluggish skilled migration has been one of the factors impacting Victoria’s health system over the past few years.

He believes that clearing the backlog of skilled migrants waiting to enter the country, will be the key to solving the crisis in regional health staffing.

Mr Andrews pushed for extra resources to process the ‘tens of thousands’ of visa applicants, a request agreed to by the Commonwealth, during Anthony Albanese’s first national cabinet meeting as prime minister on June 17.

‘At my urging, he’s (Anthony Albanese) put…extra staff on to move through that backlog,’ Mr Andrews said .