File picture used for representation.
DOHA: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)’s Ambulance Service will launch a newly improved fleet of 60 emergency vehicles to further strengthen its services for patients outside Doha. The ambulances also known as ‘Rural Ambulances’ are specially designed to meet the requirements of areas outside Doha and will be included into operations in a phased process, Brendon David Morris, Executive Director Ambulance Service said yesterday.
“Our commitment is to provide the right access to care for people all over Qatar. The new ambulances are being rolled out and over the next months. The new 60 vehicles will completely replace the 45 that we had earlier to serve places outside Doha,” he said.
“But its specific because of the size, design and the ability to carry two patients in the new ambulances,” the Executive Director Ambulance Service added.
“There is more space in the ambulance, that allows to carry up to two patients, if needed in case of emergency. Of course our standard approach is always to transfer one patient per ambulance. But as we know there can be road accident or something else, so we should have the ability to transport two patients,” he said.
All safety features of the new ambulances have been assured and the staff including the paramedics have been trained to operate the new vehicles.
“We have looked into all measures to make sure that its safe for the people inside the ambulance, such as the brake and the steering systems, that keeps the population safe when we are responding in high speed in the rural areas,” said Morris.
“Obviously we need to train staff on the detail practicalities of the new type of vehicles. Also making sure that each vehicle is licensed in the country and all communication equipment of the Ministry of Interior are fixed inside. So we talk to the National Command Centre, send reports to the hospital so that they know which patient we are coming with. Also, the ambulance is connected to the Electronic Patient Record,” he added.
Further, two Lifeflights (air ambulances) will be providing service around the clock supporting the ground ambulances at places outside Doha as well.
“For areas outside Doha, we also have the Lifeflight services which supports the road ambulance services. The two aircraft that operate 24 hours with the support of the Qatari Air Force, who fly the aircraft. These helicopters allows us to transport critical care paramedics out into the rural areas when there is a serious situation. However, the ground based ambulances are always ready to dispatch. In this way, we are covering the whole map of Qatar not just Doha,” said Morris.
