Việt Nam News asked our readers whether ambulances in their countries arrive late to the scene. — Photo zing.vn

Last week, Việt Nam News asked our readers whether ambulances in their countries arrive late to the scene. We also wanted to collect their opinions on measures to improve the speed of ambulances in Việt Nam. Here are our readers’ responses to the issue.

Nara Kwan Jasmine, Thai, Bangkok

Yes, this problem exists in Thailand. I never had experiences with this issue and never called an ambulance, but I have some suggestions to reduce this problem. The first things is I think the ambulance comes late because of traffic jams, so the government should have strict policies about traffic rules for everyone to follow. The second is I think the ambulance comes late because of poor management of some hospitals. They may have poor co-operation or communication between personnel in the hospitals. Lastly, I think this problem comes from people who ignore the scene when they see an accident. Some of them don’t call an ambulance immediately and some of them don’t know the phone number for the ambulance.

Seng Hour, Cambodian, Phnom Penh

Based on my point of view, I can say that these problems also exist in my country. I have never called an ambulance before, but others have. Some ambulances are arriving late because they are too far from the accident scene, and sometimes they arrive on time because it is near and there are no traffic jams. To improve the late arrival of ambulances, we have to make connections between hospitals. So when accidents happen, they can determine which ambulance is nearest to the scene and call the police to make the traffic move more smoothly.
 

Dee Dat, a reader

I live in Canada. I have called our emergency line numerous times. The ambulance arrives usually within 10 minutes or less. The traffic law in Canada states that all vehicles must pull to the right to allow emergency vehicle to pass. It is very efficient in Canada and 99 per cent of people obey the traffic rules. 

Lương Thành Trung, Vietnamese

That ambulances arrive at the scene of the accident too late sometimes occurs in Việt Nam. I had to call an ambulance two years ago and it arrived 30 minutes  after, because of a traffic jam in Hà Nội. I am a doctor and I understand that arriving to an emergency scene in a timely manner is a vital necessity. So how can we make ambulances complete their tasks as quickly as possible? Firstly, I think the problem is traffic, especially in big cities in Việt Nam such as Hà Nội, HCM City, etc. Secondly, there is the consciousness of the people at the accident scene. We should not be crowded around the scene of the accident, we should quickly call an ambulance and help the victims.

Văn Lê, Vietnamese, Hà Nội

The Vietnamese Goverment is the one responsible for this problem. That comes from many things. Improving infrastructure and educating teenagers about complying with traffic laws will help us in the future.

Andrew Burden, Canadian, Việt Nam

I followed a funeral procession in Sài Gòn (HCM City). People got out of the way like it was the plague. When I heard an ambulance siren I just continued along...like everyone else. I once followed an ambulance as staff pumped the patient’s chest in a frantic CPR attempt.

Cause of death? Traffic. At one school during rush hour I looked out at a stuck ambulance because the siren was distracting (and annoying) me. I told the students to close the windows and we continued, just another normal day.

Primary students need to learn how to call ‘911’ emergency services, draw pictures and put up posters in class. Fire stations should have regular open house days where students meet firemen and play on the equipment.

High school students should do a ‘ridealong’ with police and ambulances and with those little evening security trucks whose job seems only to blow a whistle and make the street food guys run away for an hour.

My Vietnamese cardiology doctor friend in Sài Gòn told me one foreigner dies every month during the ‘golden hour.’ Much time is wasted in traffic. If you can deliver pizza in 30 minutes, where’s that paramedic on a motorcycle?! — VNS