The Ambulance Accident

The ambulance tragedy in Melaka earlier this week has certainly moved me. In the incident, an ambulance carrying a patient with head injury was being transferred to Hospital Kuala Lumpur. It set out from Hospital Melaka, and somewhere in Ayer Keroh, before entering the highway, it stopped for a turn, and was hit from behind by a taxi, causing it to flip over on its side. There were also reports here.

The resultant impact caused further injury to the patient as well as the accompanying Doctor and Nurse. The Doctor escaped with relatively minor injuries, but the nurse was not so lucky. Even though she survived the initial accident, and managed to crawl out from the wreckage, she succumbed to her injuries yesterday.

She was 30 years of age, and was due to be married after Raya. The patient they were carrying to HKL also died earlier.

This is tragic and hammered down a couple of important points. First, are transferring patients, or in that matter, the ambulance itself, is a safe mode of transport in our country? Look at the state of the vans? Some of them were deplorable.

Secondly, how many of us gave way to ambulance if it tried to pass us, sirens blaring in Federal Highway? Well, we reluctantly, myself included, do most of time, but we climbed the curb in double quick time if it was an outrider with the Sultan or politician tailing behind. This is just shameful. Our attitude as a community need to change.

The solution to the first question would involve money - upgrading the aging fleet of ambulance would take a bit of doing. If my patient need ambulance, and they could afford it, I would ask them to hire a private ambulance, no doubt about it. Imagine carrying an oxygen tank in those ambulances. No thanks.

Insisting on Police escort for important transfer should be the way forward, But there is a catch. Only last Monday, I arranged a transfer to Hospital Melaka from UMMC and it took the Ward Sister four phone calls. Imagine if you add to that contacting the Police for escort. As the the saying goes …. Terima kasih saja lah!

Three years ago, I was unfortunate enough to learn that a houseman from Seremban had serious injuries and was in UMMC ICU in a coma for a few weeks. I remember seeing the distraught husband - also a houseman - by her bedside. They were only married a few months. I was not sure if she was carrying a child. This incidences were not in isolation, but unfortunately, since it does not carry any political milage, none of the MPs harped on about it ….. hence no solutions, and more Health Care worker's life are at risk ….

Please take a minute to recite Alfatihah to the victim.