File photo used for representation
Doha, Qatar: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has planned to add more desert ambulances equipped with four-wheel stronger vehicles to access hard-to-reach places.
“To access all part of the country, HMC Ambulance Service introduced desert ambulance in its fleet which gave promising results,” said Assistant Executive Director of the Ambulance Service Ali Darwish.
Speaking to Qatar TV recently, he said: “We plan to increase the number of desert ambulances in the near future.”
He said that the desert ambulance is a four-wheel vehicle with large tyres strong enough to move in hard-to-reach places in remote areas and sand dunes.
“The vehicle is imported specially for this purpose and after necessary changes it was pressed into service. It is very comfortable for patients and is equipped with medical tools and bed,” said Darwish.
He said that ambulance service points were distributed according to the number of calls received from a certain place not according to the density of population. “The move played a key role in accelerating the response by the ambulance service to the patients in need,” said Darwish. He said that the community can play an important role to support the ambulance service responding quickly.
“An individual should know five points to help the ambulance service reach to him or those close to him. The five points are dial 999 immediately, know yourSANAULLAH ATAULLAH location, answer all questions, follow all instructions and give way to ambulances,” said Darwish.
On October 31, Hamad Medical Corporation announced that its Ambulance Service has consistently surpassed the response time targets outlined in Qatar’s first National Health Strategy, launched in 2011, to deliver help to those most in need.
The National Health Strategy set an ambitious response target of 75% of 999 calls to reach the scene within 10 minutes in urban areas and 15 minutes in rural areas.
In 2023 so far, for priority 1 calls – the most urgent category of calls, the dedication of the Ambulance Service in reaching these targets has been staggeringly evident with an average of 93% of calls in urban areas and 95% in rural areas, not only reaching but exceeding the benchmark times.
The community of Qatar plays an integral part in supporting the Ambulance Service with its ability to reach those in need quickly.
Their national awareness campaign, ‘Know the 5 to Save a Life,’ is designed to educate the public on essential actions when calling an ambulance during emergencies.
The HMC’s Ambulance Service has expanded its LifeFlight Service, introduced a modern fleet of ambulances including the state-of-the-art desert ambulance in time for the launch of camping season and established an incredible 75 dispatch points throughout Qatar. These strategic initiatives have enabled the service to reach patients swiftly, irrespective of their location.
