 |
Paramedics cite safety concerns about converted ambulances
Lee Myung-yoon, a 32-year-old paramedic at a Seoul fire station, frequently loses his balance while tending to a wounded patient. The reason is that the truck-turned-ambulance he uses has too bumpy a ride. "If you lose your control, emergency treatment comes to a halt," Lee said. "It could risk lowering a patient’s chance of survival." Another paramedic said, "In an ambulance, it is difficult to administer even basic treatment such as CPR [since it is too cramped]." The van he uses, originally a 12-passenger conveyance that has been converted into an ambulance, is too small even for a paramedic to sit by the patient’s bed. There is only room for one or two more people besides the patient. According to fire station authorities, 75 percent of the 1,263 emergency vehicles in South Korea are actually revamped trucks or large vans.In the case of an emergency, when the first 4-6 minutes are critical, the conditions of an ambulance will make a huge difference between life and death. However, there are no effective regulations in place to set standards for South Korea’s ambulances. Among other problems, ambulances made from revamped trucks ride quite roughly. There is no regulation that requires the installation of a different shock absorber system. "Related government agencies such as the Construction Ministry and Welfare Ministry should have done something about it by now, but they have sat idle," an industry expert said on condition of anonymity. Such ambulances have very little room inside, not enough to meet requirements stipulated by regulations under which the vehicle should have more than 2.5 meters between the rear seat and the back of the vehicle. Song il-young, a car-overhauling expert, said, "For emergency treatment, it would be helpful if a paramedic could stand and look over a patient, but in most current ambulances, he or she is forced to sit beside the bed due to a lack of room." Meanwhile, the related ministries are still sitting on their hands, passing the buck to each other or complaining about deficient budgets. Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
