New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet has been accused of receiving preferential health treatment for his wife, just days from the state election.
Instead of calling triple-0 for his wife who was crying in "immense pain", he called the health minister, who was in a meeting with the head of the ambulance service.
This is what we know about the phone call.
The call
On the afternoon of February 14, Mr Perrottet received a call from his wife, Helen, while he was leaving a work event.
She was in tears, paralysed in bed and had almost blacked out trying to get to the bathroom, he said.
He decided to call Health Minister Brad Hazzard who, at the time, was in a meeting with NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan and an emergency medicine consultant.
After the call, an ambulance was called for Ms Perrottet and Mr Perrottet went home to be with her.
He then accompanied her to hospital, where she stayed for a number of days.
The premier says he called Mr Hazzard because they are "very close" and he consults with him on a range of issues.
Allegations of preferential treatment surface
On Tuesday night, Mr Perrottet was grilled by Sky News about the call to Mr Hazzard.
It was suggested that he reached out to Mr Hazzard and Dr Morgan in order to jump the queue for an ambulance.
Mr Perrottet maintained the ambulance was organised in the "ordinary course" and he wasn't sure whether Mr Hazzard or Dr Morgan had actually placed the triple-0 call.
"I certainly wasn't asking for any special advice or consideration.
"I certainly didn't ask for any favours."
He said neither he nor his wife had called for an ambulance prior to his call to Mr Hazzard.
Further explanation from premier
On Wednesday, at a press conference in Quakers Hill, Mr Perrottet shed further light on the call in question.
He said that Ms Perrottet had been in pain since returning from the gym that morning and, when he got to work, he considered arranging a physio for her.
After her condition deteriorated later that day, he called Mr Hazzard for advice on whether to arrange a physio, go to a GP or go to the emergency department.
"[Mr Hazzard] said it sounds like a spinal injury, I'm actually in a meeting right now with the head of ambulance and a senior specialist. He put me on a speaker, I took them through Helen's symptoms," he said.
"They said go home, an ambulance will be arranged.
"Brad asked me for my address when I was on the phone."
The premier said he only found out on Tuesday that it was Dr Morgan who requested the ambulance, classifying it as a "low-order priority".
In the event, he said, the ambulance arrived around 40 to 50 minutes later.
Mr Perrottet was adamant he did not ask for the ambulance but admitted it might seem like he had received preferential treatment.
"I do see that, but what I can do is tell you what the facts are."
He said he would seek advice from the Health Department about releasing the log from Dr Morgan's triple-0 call.
NSW Ambulance responds
NSW Ambulance issued a statement that backed up the premier's explanation.
"Dr Morgan asked some clinical questions and recommended that an ambulance be sent … Dr Morgan subsequently requested an ambulance for the patient and he categorised the case as priority 2i. This is the fourth response category after priorities 1a, 1b and 1c, and is an ambulance response without the use of lights and siren."
A spokesperson said Dr Morgan was not asked to call the ambulance and did not request it be prioritised over other, higher-priority emergencies.
They said Mr Hazzard's meeting with Dr Morgan and the emergency medicine consultant had been scheduled ahead of time.
Labor leader responds
Opposition Leader Chris Minns does not believe the call warrants further investigation.
"I'm not going to knock the premier for the decision he made," he said on the campaign trail yesterday.
"He says that he got no special treatment and I take him at his word. In a similar situation, I honestly don't know what I would do."
Mr Minns said, however, he did take issue with the Coalition's performance in the health sector.
"We don't believe they've done enough or understand the full ramifications of the crisis our health system is in at the moment."
Unions speak up
The revelation by the premier come at a tricky time.
On Saturday, voters head to the polls and paramedics are in the midst of industrial action against the Coalition over stretched out response times.
The Paramedics Association said it has written to Dr Morgan, requesting further information about his conversation with Mr Perrottet.
They want to confirm "appropriate triaging and dispatch procedures" were followed.
"Everyday people in New South Wales don't have the health minister on speed dial," secretary Alan O'Riordan said.
The Health Services Union condemned the breach of patient confidentiality with the aim of political point-scoring.
"We often disagree with the premier. In fact, right now we are in the midst of industrial action. But the sensitive health information of his family is totally off limits," secretary Gerard Hayes said.
