Wait times for ambulances in Victoria are improving but still well below target, with the state's health minister admitting more needs to be done.
Some 67.3 per cent of code one ambulance call-outs arrived within 15 minutes from October to December 2023, which is better than the previous quarter but still below the target of 85 per cent.
Median response times for the most serious code zero call-outs also increased slightly from 8.87 minutes to 8.97, data from the Victorian Agency for Health Information shows.
The elective surgery waiting list has dropped to 67,207, down from 68,941 in the July to September quarter, with the median waiting time for a procedure now at 31 days.
"I am the first to acknowledge that this is not where we want to be," Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas told reporters on Friday.
She said there had been a 3.4 per cent jump in demand for ambulances and a 2.5 per cent increase in people seeking help at emergency departments when comparing the final two quarters of 2023.
"There's no doubt there's more work to do," Ms Thomas said.
"But what we can see here is the increased demand on our ambulance services is not letting up and it's an opportunity for me to remind Victorians that triple zero is for emergencies."
The increased demand for services was believed to be due to people deferring health care at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.
The wait time for specialist dental appointments also jumped from 10 months in July to September to a full year by the end of 2023.
Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the data revealed the ongoing strain on the health system.
"The figures will be distressing to many Victorians who rely on vital health services as many key indicators continue to worsen rather than improve," she said.
"Despite continued claims from the Allan government that they are fixing the problems plaguing the health system, the data says otherwise and in many areas is actually getting worse."
