I CALLED the non-emergency number 1777 for an ambulance one Saturday at 3.30am, as my husband, who is in his 50s, had a bad bout of food poisoning, severe pain in the stomach and was too weak to walk.
I was told several times on the phone that I would need to have $150 in cash, as cheques and credit cards were not accepted. I was then told we would have to wait 45 minutes for the ambulance to take us to the nearest hospital, which was Changi General Hospital.
The ambulance attendants did not check my husband's temperature or blood pressure and did not monitor his condition throughout the entire journey.
Upon arrival at the hospital, they were, thus, unable to provide any information to the accident and emergency department nurse, who promptly scolded them and told them that they should have taken my husband's blood pressure and temperature, at the very least.
I have the following questions:
Shirley Loh (Ms)
I was told several times on the phone that I would need to have $150 in cash, as cheques and credit cards were not accepted. I was then told we would have to wait 45 minutes for the ambulance to take us to the nearest hospital, which was Changi General Hospital.
The ambulance attendants did not check my husband's temperature or blood pressure and did not monitor his condition throughout the entire journey.
Upon arrival at the hospital, they were, thus, unable to provide any information to the accident and emergency department nurse, who promptly scolded them and told them that they should have taken my husband's blood pressure and temperature, at the very least.
I have the following questions:
What happens if one does not have $150 in cash at home in the wee hours of the night? Would the ambulance not be dispatched then?
Is there no standard operating procedure (SOP) that ambulance attendants have to adhere to, for example, the checking of blood pressure or temperature, to ensure that the patient is not in any danger?
Do private ambulances come under the purview of the Singapore Civil Defence Force and, if not, who ensures that these operators are carrying out their jobs professionally?
Shirley Loh (Ms)
