Late Wednesday night a 21-year-old called triple-0 for an ambulance after an alcholic binge-drinking session - he was throwing up and wanting to go to the hospital.
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With only seven ambulance vehicles in Dubbo, paramedics cannot afford to attend calls which are not an emergency and are fed up.
A Statewide campaign run by Ambulance NSW “Don’t use an Ambulance as a Taxi” has been put forth to better inform the community about proper use of ambulances.
Local paramedics Tony Beauchamp and Chris Patrick said they would receive calls at 3am because people want some company.
“We get people that don’t have basic first aid equipment like band aids and call triple-0 for us to come and help them with something they can do at home,” Mr Beauchamp said.
“The campaign is about helping people understand the service we offer and when to call us,” Mr Patrick said.
The campaign will include two different radio commercials that feature re-enactments of inappropriate calls that will be distributed to FM and AM radio stations, along with posters appearing in the offices of local GPs to reinforce the message.
There is common misconception in the community that you can ‘jump the queue’ of a busy emergency department if you arrive by ambulance rather than using personal or public transport, according to Ambulance NSW.
Patients are treated at hospital according to the urgency of their medical need, regardless of how they made their way there.
dani.volke@ruralpress.com
