In Toronto, when most drivers hear a siren while driving they, with a few moronic exceptions, look around and pull their vehicles over to allow the ambulance, police car or fire truck to get by. In Bangkok, that is not always the case. I wrote about this way back in July 2013 in an entry called 911-Forget About It. The fact is that the traffic is generally so bad in Bangkok that even if drivers wanted to pull over to let an ambulance through, it probably wouldn’t be possible most of the time.
But there is another issue here. While there is a 911 number to call, it won’t necessarily get you a government based EMS service coming to your door. Nope, over here, most hospitals have their own ambulance services, either outsourced or owned. So if there is a medical emergency it usually makes sense to call the healthcare group to which you are rostered. With some luck, they will send an ambulance or perhaps paramedics on motorcycles.
Since our system is spread out with two hospitals and lots of clinics in various parts of Bangkok, we have a very large self-owned fleet of ambulances with paramedic teams to operate them. We also have two mobile clinics in buses, with another one coming. Sadly, having all these emergency vehicles does not mean that we can get to and from an emergency quickly, no matter how hard the teams try. Unfortunately, traffic snarls prevail. Sometimes we send a paramedic on a motorcycle who can act as a first line of defence. However, having a big fleet of emergency vehicles, as we do, is often not enough to provide the help needed in a severe emergency.
I can imagine having to be flung on the back of a motorcycle strapped to the upside of the wheel well, weaving through traffic; in Bangkok it’s the fear of exhaust fumes and other motorcycles; in Toronto it’s black ice and potholes….
I don’t think the protocol is to have the patient strapped onto the motorcycle. That would almost certainly lead to the death of the patient and maybe even the motorcycle driver. But your scenario would make an awesome action or comedy movie sequence.
Maybe there is a need to just keep people amused while help is being organized? So send in for example a clown on a motorcycle! Who would not move over, in snarled traffic, for some clown whizzing by on a vespa, plus it would add to the sights and colours of the city for tourists!
Once at the emergency, they could keep the patient amused and de focused from pain and anxiety?
An ad campaign could use Sondheim’s beautiful ‘Send in the Clowns’… kind of like the British drama series Send for the Midwife, except using a Miami Vice tempo?
Just a thought
It occurs to me that a clown might be more of a horror than an amusement, perhaps like the one in Stephen King’s ‘It’
Perhaps clown also reflects poorly on the medical profession. I never quite understood the plot line of that Robin Williams movie on the physician being a clown either, so okay, no clown
But as a potential revenue stream, possibly those on motorcycles attending accidents could also offer Uber Eats, or just a courier mail service enroute?
I guess reading in the local media that a patient died because of late pizza delivery not a good thing either
No tip I bet too
I will refrain from offering any more on this topic as well
I agree. No clowns. And probably promising an EMS guy and a pizza in a half hour or they’re free might not be such a good idea. However, I will say that pizza, Thai style, has recently become very popular. Probably more popular than our EMS guys.
A pizza with all the bells and whistles might make sense delivered quickly or free
An Ital-Thailand treat!