NORTHERN EMIRATES // Emergency services are being improved in the Northern Emirates so that patients in remote areas suffering life-threatening conditions can receive faster treatment.
The National Ambulance Service is modernising its vehicle fleet with 20 new Mercedes ambulances to supplement the 30 it already operates.
The number of rapid response cars will increase from 30 to 50, and 20 additional service locations are being introduced, taking the number within the region to 50.
The service changes will be implemented immediately. They come seven months after the introduction of a dedicated 998 emergency phone number for Northern Emirates residents that has been operational since May, replacing the 999 number for the service control room.
The expansion of the ambulance services marks phase three of the plan, and follows an extensive analysis of emergency paramedic response data.
Ahmed Al Hajeri, National Ambulance deputy chief executive, said a number of measures to enhance the efficiency and quality of the emergency response service had been taken through increasing the services presence in hot spots and areas of high demand.
“This marks another significant milestone in our growth strategy and reflects our commitment towards enhancing performance and emergency response efficiency.”
Service planners assessed data that included demographics, population density, traffic flow, volume of incidents and how many calls were made to the control centre.
In its first year, the 24-vehicle fleet was sent out more than 30,600 times.
The callouts involved 180 paramedics and the treatment of 33,500 patients.
The new vehicles are equipped with the latest technology and the can cope with the extreme weather in rural and remote areas.
Switching to a dedicated emergency number has also cut down on unnecessary trips as information gets straight to paramedics.
The control room, based in Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Towers, handles 998 calls from Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, Sharjah and Fujairah.
Residents inAbu Dhabi or Dubai are automatically diverted to the 999 police number.
On March 21 to 23, Dubai World Trade Centre will host an international conference on ambulance services.
The Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services said it was aiming to improve its response times to less than four minutes.
“We will be looking to tackle two important areas – stroke management and cardiac arrest – as well as how our medical teams deal with different crises management,” said Dr Omar Al Sakaf, DCAS director of medical and technical affairs.
The Dubai International Ambulance Conference is being held in conjunction with the International Emergency and Catastrophe Management Conference and Exhibition.
nwebster@thenational.ae
