Call ambulance only when it's a genuine emergency

Dubai: As the phone rang at the Centre for Ambulance Services in Dubai, the news was not good. Jenny was dying — she had gone unconscious and wouldn't move.

It was a frantic message received by the centre one evening recently.
They had to move fast. Time was the enemy.
"We received the call around 7pm and the caller was very upset. On reaching the scene, we realised that Jenny was actually a dog. We made sure the dog was all right and directed the individual to the right people," Ali Mousa, Manager of Medical Dispatch, Operation Department for the Centre of Ambulance services, said.

While there is no denying that Jenny's case was an emergency, Mousa agrees that it is not one of the 'usual' ones.

He should know — the department that he leads receives as many as 170 calls or more every day and some he adds are about toothaches.

He said: "Our unit receives two kinds of calls: for trauma-related cases — such as broken bones or bleeding caused usually by road accidents — which require immediate care and for medical emergencies such as hospital transfers, tooth, stomach or back aches. We ask the caller many questions and treat each case accordingly."

With calling for help being just three digits away, individuals seem to have their own reasons for classifying an incident as an emergency — as in the case of an Australian who dialled local paramedics in Australia to help pick up his pillow as he was too lazy to do so himself.

While the report may have been amusing to most, other readers agreed that emergency calls for trivial matters were a waste of time and "an abuse of rights".
Gulf News reader Arlene A. Castillo, a Filipina expatriate based in Dubai, reasoned that in such cases, the operator could have actually used that time to attend to a more serious and grave emergency.

Delaying services

She said: "Such incidents reflect a nonchalance among people. An ambulance service should only be called for life-threatening situations at home, in the sea, on the road or in instances where there is an emergency for reasons that are medical, traffic related or based on domestic violence."
Gulf News reader Malcolm Kemp, a British expatriate based in Dubai, reasons that some individuals make such calls as they know they can get away with it.
He said: "It is a common practice to call 999 to report the number of a vehicle that is blocking someone else's car. It works and the vehicle gets moved but such calls shouldn't be on an emergency number."

Kemp adds that in the case of the lazy Australian or Jenny's caller, both individuals must realise that they were delaying emergency services that could require immediate medical attention elsewhere.
Dr Alya Ahmad, head of paediatrics at The City Hospital in Dubai, supports Kemp's claims. She voiced her concerns about the need for 'medical homes' — where people can access a doctor for specialised care, as and when needed — the lack of which is a growing problem, especially in Dubai.

She said: "Fever is the number one reason why people call the doctor as there is a lot of fever phobia out there. I wouldn't call this as being nonchalant, as when people need help they need to talk to someone. Often we feel alone and helpless and can take advantage of the fact that we know emergency rooms are open 24 hours."
Mousa agreed that this is the general mindset and called upon people to seek emergency services, only when in desperate need.

He concluded: "We do not have enough ambulances and if we waste time on trivial phone calls, it could lead to a loss of lives. "Ambulances cannot be sent to everyone — please don't call for an ambulance unless you really need it. Know the address, be precise and save us time."

Do you know anyone who has called an ambulance for a quirky reason? What was it about? What happened? Did the ambulance respond?

In my point of view, people who make such calls on trivial issues to the Emergency Services are either not mature enough or have never faced a 'real' crisis in their lives.
Shiuli Dutt Dey
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 06, 2008, 12:36

I would like to say thanks to all of you helping the people in need. You are doing a great job.
Mehroz
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: December 06, 2008, 10:19

I am surprised to read about the calls these people get. It is such a shame. I hope people would be more aware of this. It is a serious matter
Beena
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: December 06, 2008, 09:31