DCAS - Traffic accidents top the list of emergencies
Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services (DCAS) has received a total of 100,000 calls in 2012 reporting accidents against 88,000 in 2011 with traffic accidents topping the list that required an ambulance, followed by home emergencies like people who suffer cardiac arrest, blood sugar increase, and asthma, a senior official of the Corporation said.
"Ambulances belonging to private medical facilities cannot offer help in the event of accidents, but only DCAS," said Khalifa bin Drai, Executive Director of the Corporation.
"Today, we allocated ambulances for handling contagious diseases, premature babies and helping pregnant women. In general, we have bikes that can reach narrow and over populated areas to shift patients to the emergency ward," he added.
"Furthermore, we have the ’first respondent’ facility. It is an ambulance that can reach an accident scene first before others, in order to offer quick medical help. There is first-aid help also over the phone, where those guys give medical advice over the phone to people seeking help, until the ambulance arrives. Regarding the number of accident reports we receive per day, they are ranging between 300 and up to 400 reports," he said.
The DCAS is in charge of giving permits and renewal for private ambulance services as well as for first-aid staff so as to see that they are fit for the job: "We are giving these private medical entities training courses," he pointed out.
"We have set rules regarding the violations and fines applicable against private hospitals in case of any infringement encountered. However, bin Drai said that there is a coordination and collaboration between the DCAS and private hospitals in the event of disasters and emergencies as, "we are using and resorting to their hospitals and ambulances too." Right now, there are 68 ambulance points distributed across the emirate of Dubai depending on the population, density and places which are most prone to accidents.
"We are striving to increase the number of ambulance points. Actually, we need 80 to 85 ambulances because as many as 35 ambulances are often given tasks to be stationed at conferences, during matches and at shopping malls, and for other purposes. Furthermore, we have 11 ambulance points at the Dubai airport and we want that to increase to 13 points ," added.
He noted that for the first time in the Arab world, five first-aid men are now being trained on how they descend from a helicopter at bumpy and rough places where choppers cannot land, be dropped there and pick up an injured person and provide him/her with the first-aid required. Those five most qualified first-aid men shall graduate within days.
Speaking about a first-aid team and how they get adapted at work, bin Drai stated that first-aid staff undergoes training courses in criminal laboratory so as to learn how to touch things found at an accident scene, especially in cime-related cases so that fingerprints or any other material evidences is not lost.
Other services include a special ambulance van driven by a lady in delivery cases. Two female rescue workers and a midwife will also be on board the van, which is well-equipped, in a way that delivery can be performed in the moving van.
"We had keen interest in breaking the record, and entered the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s longest ambulance as it can carry and provide rapid medical assistance to up to 44 cases in the event of major incidents, i.e. accidents or disasters involving large numbers of victims. The van is a mobile hospital and can cope with disasters," he said.
The Dh6.5 million ambulance has a fully-fledged operation theatre and X-rays, which show immediately on the screen. Other apparatus includes oxygen masks similar to those found for passengers on a flight, he said, adding: "We also have two other vehicles, the first takes in 32 injury victims, and is used at times of crises and disasters, while the second can take in as many as 22 patients, and has an operation theatre and an intensive care unit.
"We have offered many incentives to attract Emiratis for this profession job. Students, now, are getting a remuneration while he/she is studying for a five-year course. Thereafter, he/she will immediately be appointed in the corporation. The number of students who work at the ambulance, out of the total number of 700 employees, is more than 50 men and women," he pointed out.
Emirate: Dubai
Date: Jan 8, 2013
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