- Jun 28, 2011
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We have 2 guys staying in our guest house long term. Dh noticed awhile back that the one guy looks a bit rough. Turns out he's having serious problems with his kidneys. Dh spoke to him early this morning and the guy said he's taking the day off, as he's in pain. He got new medicine yesterday and he's just going to take it easy. About 2 hours later he phoned Dh in his cell. He went to the bathroom and collapsed. He can't move anything but his arms and he's in pain. Dh and the gardener went and helped and he asked me to phone the ambulance, as the guy is in a bad state.
I phoned them at 11:25. The dispatcher asked if we can't take him to the hospital (30 miles away) ourselves. The ambulance is out, an emergency somewhere between us and the hospital. I explained that we don't have a suitable vehicle, we'll wait. An hour passed. Our lodger, who happens to be a paramedic comes and we ask him to have a look at our guest. He phones the dispatcher. We wait. Sometime after 14:00 he phones again. They tell him the ambulance is in town. We go to town to run some errants and I spot the ambulance driving around, stopping here and there and eventually going to the local base. I follow it and find the medics washing the ambulance! I asked them why they haven't been to tend to our guest and they reply they haven't received the order from the dispatcher!
I go inside and speak to the lady running the base who immediately phones the dispatcher and she tells me to tell the medics to go immediately. Went outside, they're still busy with the hosepipe, but have since progressed to someone's car. I told them to go to our place and go get the poor guy, but they said no, they need to wait for the go-ahead from the authorities. At which point I lost my rag and said we'll sort the authorities, just GO!!!
They left 15:15. The poor man was laying there in agony for more than 3 hours!
But recently when a guy crashed his bike just outside town, 2 ambulances, the fire truck and the medical helicopter flew out there. For one guy. Who wasn't seriously injured.
I phoned them at 11:25. The dispatcher asked if we can't take him to the hospital (30 miles away) ourselves. The ambulance is out, an emergency somewhere between us and the hospital. I explained that we don't have a suitable vehicle, we'll wait. An hour passed. Our lodger, who happens to be a paramedic comes and we ask him to have a look at our guest. He phones the dispatcher. We wait. Sometime after 14:00 he phones again. They tell him the ambulance is in town. We go to town to run some errants and I spot the ambulance driving around, stopping here and there and eventually going to the local base. I follow it and find the medics washing the ambulance! I asked them why they haven't been to tend to our guest and they reply they haven't received the order from the dispatcher!
I go inside and speak to the lady running the base who immediately phones the dispatcher and she tells me to tell the medics to go immediately. Went outside, they're still busy with the hosepipe, but have since progressed to someone's car. I told them to go to our place and go get the poor guy, but they said no, they need to wait for the go-ahead from the authorities. At which point I lost my rag and said we'll sort the authorities, just GO!!!
They left 15:15. The poor man was laying there in agony for more than 3 hours!
But recently when a guy crashed his bike just outside town, 2 ambulances, the fire truck and the medical helicopter flew out there. For one guy. Who wasn't seriously injured.
