Paramedics in Victoria have a higher rate of work-related injuries than other Australian workers, new research shows.

About one-third of the state’s paramedics have suffered injuries on the job and psychological issues are the main reason why they have taken time off.

A recent study by Monash University found 7591 paramedic injuries were reported over a six-year period, 28 per cent of which led to work absences.

Manual handling, followed by psychological stressors, were the leading mechanisms of injury, the paper published in the journal Prehospital Emergency Care said.

It comes as Victoria’s healthcare system continues to buckle under pressure as ambulance wait times and hospital demand soar.

About 65 per cent of critical ambulance dispatches are attended within the first 15 minutes, compared to 73 per cent in 2014, government data shows.

Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority chief executive Marty Smyth resigned in late 2021.

The following year, an independent investigation by the Inspector-General for Emergency Management, Tony Pearce, found 33 people died after delays in the state’s embattled triple-zero system.

Last year, Premier Daniel Andrews proposed a $26 million package to add 40 mobile intensive care paramedics across the state, increasing the total number to 640.

– AAP