ABU DHABI // Cooperation between road accident response teams and medical staff is vital to improving services on the roads.
That was a message at the first International Traffic Accidents Conference, which began in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
“Our overall target is a high level of care,” said Ahmed Al Hajeri, head of National Ambulance in Abu Dhabi.
Mr Al Hajeri said a crucial issue was the lack of communication between paramedic staff working at the accident scene and the hospitals to which patients are sent.
He said this could be fixed with specialist dispatchers for accidents.
“We need medical dispatchers who can deal with calls differently from normal dispatchers,” Mr Al Hajeri said.
“There is a gap between each of the services. Our role is to come up with solutions to close this gap.
“This is not just a problem in the UAE, but everywhere in the world.”
Mr Al Hajeri said communication problems included language, between Arabic and English, and understanding terminology.
“They must understand the terminology,” he said. “We are hoping to improve this over the next 10 months. We must come up with ways to improve communication between different services.”
He said the ambulance service had improved dramatically over recent years.
In 2001, the Ambulance and Rescue section had 51 staff and a fleet of 18 vehicles.
This increased to more than 500 staff last year, with 40 emergency response vehicles including ambulances, helicopters and all-terrain vehicles.
Last year in Abu Dhabi, the ambulance service received 10,000 emergency calls, of which 8,000 were related to road trauma.
Emergency teams responded in less than 10 minutes to 84 per cent of all incidents.
“From the medical perspective, the most modern equipment is now being used in the UAE to give the best treatment to patients,” said Maj Gen Ahmed Al Raisi, of Abu Dhabi Police.
“There should be an effective partnership to ensure safety on the roads. Community partnership and active cooperation with hospitals is essential.”
ksinclair@thenational.ae
