| Opinion |
MAY-JUNE , 2022 | THE HEALTH
25
F-1 ambulance drivers
Are ambulance drivers trained to drive and handle an ambulance at high speeds ?
BY DR JEYARAJAH SIVALINGAM
WE ARE familiar with the box van with lights flashing , and sirens wailing tearing down the roads . Always greeted with a tinge of our flight or fright response .
We do , after all , want the best for the patient being ferried . The objective is to be transported safely and with urgency to definitive care . But wait . Which part is not apt here ? Is it the lights flashing ? Sirens wailing ? That seems to check the box . It is an emergency .
The lights and sirens help transfer a message of urgency to the road users . Who , in turn activate their civic consciousness and give way .
Or is it speeding recklessly ? Are ambulance drivers trained to drive and handle an ambulance at high speeds ? In looking into the training of ambulance drivers , there is a circular issued by the Ministry of Health ( MoH ) dated May 15 , 2012 , on the training of ambulance drivers .
This includes a three-day first responder course including ergonomics of response , service ethics and policies , basic life support and basic trauma management . The drivers must undergo a two-day safety driving module that focuses on injury prevention and defensive driving techniques .
Obey traffic rules
The two-day safety driving module has no training on handling vehicles at high speed .
Then you have drivers beating red lights . This is extremely reckless and irresponsible and can only be achieved by complete cooperation and understanding of all vehicles in that play . In usual circumstances , it ends in disaster .
According to the then Health Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Seri Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman , ambulances were not allowed to beat traffic lights even during an emergency . They still have to obey traffic rules .
The sirens are only an indication that they should be given priority of passage . “ The drivers should be told that even if they have the lights and the beacon switched on ; they still have to obey traffic rules ,” Dr Hasan , as quoted by The Star .
I then wondered about the number of accidents involving ambulances , given that the drivers are not trained in speed racing and the vehicles themselves are not designed for racing .
An astonishing study by a group from Health Systems Research ( IHSR ), MoH published in Med J Malaysia in August 2017 reveals an average of 129 accidents per year . This is a catastrophic number .
Vicarious liability
In an article titled “ legal perspective of ambulance crashes ” by Prof Shad Saleem Faruki , appearing in The Star dated Aug 8 , 2011 explains that ambulance drivers are not above the law in their call of duty and are treated accordingly if negligent .
However , in addition to the driver , the employer who would likely be the vehicle owner , would also be liable . This is because in negligence , the law also places responsibility on the employer . This is termed “ vicarious liability ”.
This includes the Government of Malaysia , State Governments , private hospitals and private responders .
Having been on many trips myself transporting patients and on a reversal of roles when I had to accompany a relative , there is a vast difference between a driver who responds with responsibility and urgency and one who is reckless . It is always better for the patient to be transferred responsibly in any given medical emergency .
And on that note , I wonder if KL City Hall ( DBKL ) outriders who usually travel at high speeds with sirens wailing are sufficiently trained as their police counterparts ? Or should they be in this game at all ?
Dr Jeyarajah Sivalingam is a Consultant Physician at MAC Clinics