Delays of as much as an hour to wait for an ambulance to arrive mean some North East residents are choosing to drive to hospital themselves, rather than wait for emergency assistance.
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Ovens Valley MP Tim McCurdy said the situation had become a disgrace, after he was told of Myrrhee residents who recently made the decision to drive a loved one to the hospital because it would be the quickest option.
He said the issue is that ambulances to Myrrhee are being dispatched from Mansfield, which takes an hour, rather than from Wangaratta, which takes about 30 minutes.
"I have previously raised this issue with the Ambulance Services Minister but I continue to hear from Myrrhee residents impacted by this terrible situation," he said.
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"Just recently a Myrrhee resident decided to drive an injured family member to hospital in Wangaratta rather than call an ambulance that would be dispatched from Mansfield instead of Wangaratta and take twice as long to arrive.
"This is a situation that local residents simply shouldn't have to face."
Ambulance response times have been in the spotlight after the council revealed an Indigo Shire resident died following an hour-long wait to be transported to hospital - the latest example of the region's ambulance response time crisis.
Northern Victoria MP Tania Maxwell met with Health and Ambulance Services Minister Jenny Mikakos last week to discuss the issue.
Mr McCurdy said the incident within his electorate was another example of "failing the urgent health needs of rural Victorians" and lives were being put at risk.
"All Victorians are entitled to an ambulance service that is available when they need it," he said.
"There are Myrrhee residents who have given up relying on the ambulance service, due to this situation where the ambulance comes from Mansfield, and are taking matters in to their own hands.
"This is just not right."
Ambulance Victoria Hume regional director Matt Chadban said the dispatch system to Myrrhee was changed recently "based on community feedback and an analysis of our data".
"Despite Mansfield being closer as the crow flies, we learned that due to local road conditions sending an ambulance crew from a location that is further away may be quicker," he said.
"As a result, ambulances from Wangaratta and Benalla are now automatically considered the first ambulances we would dispatch to Myrrhee residents who call triple zero."
