Emergency waiting times at Melbourne’s Royal Children Hospital blew out to more than eight hours on Monday night.

“We did have waits in excess of eight hours…and through most of the night,” the hospital’s Chief of Critical Care Stuart Lewena told 3AW on Tuesday morning.

Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.Credit:Chris Hopkins

He told Neil Mitchell they had a “remarkably busy day” on Monday and there was a sick child coming through the door every two minutes.

“Last night we implemented the kind of plans that we would do when we have an imminent disaster,” he said.

The doctor said while people thought life returned to normal the healthcare system was “anything but normal” at the moment.

The triage line extended out to Flemington Road on Monday night and five doctors who were not rostered on came on to help deal with the crisis, Lewena said.

More to come

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.

Most Viewed in National

Source: Read Full Article