A shortage of ambulances may have contributed to the death of an 11-year-old Australian boy who died after having an asthma attack, an inquest into the boy’s death was told Thursday.
Jake Hindhaugh, of Yarra Glen, Australia, had just returned home from his football game last year when he had the attack, The Age reported.
Because the nearby ambulance services – located about 8 miles aways — were too busy to take the Hindhaugh’s call, Jake’s parents called for ambulance service in a town that is more than 15 miles away, the inquest was told.
Jake had stopped breathing by the time the ambulance arrived, according to reports, and went into a coma. He died several days later.
Prior to Jake’s death, paramedics working for the Metropolitan Ambulance Service had raised concerns about a shortage of ambulance branches in Melbourne’s suburbs.
“This case certainly highlights the need for more resources,” a paramedic who works near Yarra Glen told The Age, but declined to give his name because he feared retribution. “It’s totally unacceptable for a child to die in this day and age.”
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox