The National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM) has launched an investigation into the operations of the Phetkasem Foundation over an incident involving an ambulance, which was sent to pick up a patient with a history of coronary syndrome.
The ambulance took the patient to a private hospital, instead of the nearest hospital or to a state hospital, where the patient would be entitled to free medical services.
Representatives of the foundation, which provides emergency services, are due to meet with officials at the NIEM today, to provide details about the incident on December 28th. NIEM officials will also meet with relatives of the patient today to hear their account of the incident.
According to the NIEM, the Phetkasem Foundation has not registered with the NIEM to provide emergency services to the public and, therefore, its services and personnel may not meet the required standards.
It is reported that an ambulance from the foundation picked up the patient at a condominium and took him to a private hospital in Bangkok’s Thonglor area, which is 5.4 km away, instead of the nearest hospital, which is only 1.8 km away, or to Rajavithi Hospital, which is 3.7 km away and where the patient would have been entitled to free medical services.
A volunteer at the foundation, Nirut Yuwapornpongkul, claimed, however, that the foundation did not gain any benefit by taking the patient to the hospital in the Thonglor area. He also claimed that the foundation learned about the call for help from the patient’s relatives via a Line Chat platform and was the first to arrive at the patient’s condominium.
He said that speed is important in an emergency situation, adding that the sooner a patient can reach a hospital, the better the chance that the patient will survive.
An official of the NIEM argued that speed alone is not the issue, saying that emergency volunteers must be well trained to deal with emergency cases and that a patient with a history of coronary syndrome requires an advanced and appropriately equipped life support ambulance, not a standard ambulance as used by most foundations, including the Phetkasem Foundation.
He noted that the patient might not receive proper first-aid treatment from well-trained volunteers, even though they might reach a hospital more quickly.
