Northern Health is urging Victorians to save dialling triple-0 for emergencies, amid a rising number of calls for non-urgent support.
In a post to the Northern Health Facebook page, the Epping organisation said residents in the state have made more calls to the emergency number than “ever before”, including for support where an ambulance is not required.
“More than one in five calls to Triple Zero for [an] ambulance do not require an emergency ambulance response,” the post said.
“Save 000 for emergencies.”
The post outlined symptoms that may call for an emergency response. They included:
difficulty breathing
severe bleeding
unconsciousness
lips or face turning blue
sudden numbness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg
becoming agitated, confused or very drowsy
chest pain or chest tightness
fainting, or often feeling like you will faint
“For a non-life-threatening emergency, you can also use our Virtual Emergency Department service,” the post said.
“If in doubt, always call [Triple-0].”
Details: nh.org.au/ed, bit.ly/3CwP1Er
