A 69-year-old man from Surrey Hills, Melbourne, died after waiting four hours for an ambulance amidst a severe shortage of paramedic resources. High levels of sick leave resulted in only 90 of the usual 120 ambulance crews being available, with 50 crews offline. Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill expressed deep sorrow over the incident, noting that the man's neighbors had called for help after hearing his cries. Ambulance Victoria is reviewing the case and has referred the death to the coroner, citing a busy health system due to seasonal illness. The union has highlighted the strain on paramedics, who are exhausted and overworked, as a contributing factor to the delayed response.