KARACHI:
Last week, my 3-month-old baby required oxygen support in the high-dependency unit (HDU) at Liaquat National Hospital. I urgently called 1122 to arrange an ambulance to transfer him to another hospital where I had secured a bed in their HDU. The customer service representative placed me on hold to locate an ambulance. As the wait prolonged, I politely inquired about the delay, but unfortunately, the representative responded with frustration displaying inappropriate behaviour towards me. He abruptly disconnected the call informing me that no ambulances were available.
I felt disheartened, wondering why a prominent ambulance service hadn’t stationed any vehicles outside such a major hospital. Eventually, I reached out to my brother, who contacted an acquaintance in the Sindh Integrated Emergency and Health Services (SIEHS). An official promptly directed one of their agents to contact me. After providing the necessary details, I learned that they had located an ambulance from Samama Shopping Mall (Gulistan-e-Jauhar). Unfortunately, the agent did not share the ambulance’s number.
Despite SIEHS claiming a 10-minute response time for 1122, positioning themselves among the world’s best ambulance services, my experience contradicted this assertion. No 1122 ambulance arrived even after 50 minutes. Frustrated, my brother contacted the SIEHS official again to inquire about the delay. Shortly after, I received a call from the same agent, confirming the ambulance’s presence. This situation caused significant trouble, as upon reaching the hospital, I discovered that the reserved bed in their HDU had been given to another patient. I urge the government of Sindh to take strict action against the 1122 service’s inhuman approach. Their evasion of responsibilities not only jeopardises the lives of patients but also erodes the public’s trust in this essential service.
Tuba Usman
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2023.
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