The brother of a Melbourne woman who died while waiting six hours for an ambulance has spoken out about how her case was handled.
Christina Lackmann, 32, died last Wednesday after she called an ambulance because she was feeling dizzy while cooking dinner at home in Carlton North.
Her brother Broder told ABC Radio that a triple zero operator promised to return her call, but was unable to reach her.
"If someone is calling you in an emergency and then is not able to respond to your return phone call, then what other information do you need to know?" he said.
"I can't see how this wasn't prioritised. How are there 10 missed phone calls with no action? There was 10, I counted them."
He said his sister was an aspiring cancer researcher who had "found her calling" and was planning to complete a PhD.
She was found lying dead on her bathroom floor, with her dinner still in the microwave.
The Acting Premier James Merlino said her death was a "tragic outcome", and acknowledged Ambulance Victoria has seen a "very significant increase in demand".
He said the state government was working with paramedics to ease the pressure on the system, and more than a billion dollars had been allocated for the health system in the last budget.
The Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien said Melbourne hospitals are increasingly seeing a return to "ramping" - where paramedics can't respond to emergency calls because they are waiting to transfer their current patient to emergency doctors.
"This government has talked a big game about fixing ambulances, and in fact things have got worse," Mr O'Brien said on Thursday.
"Victorians are dying because of this state government's incompetence."
The Australian Medical Association has described ambulance waiting times as a public health emergency.
Ambulance Victoria has been contacted for comment.
