HMC reminds public to save Ambulance Service for medical emergencies

With the winter period in Qatar approaching, which typically sees an increase in pressure on healthcare services with seasonal infections as well as cooler weather attracting more people outdoors, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is reminding the public to save the Ambulance Service for medical emergencies.In 2023, the Ambulance Service received just over 295,000 emergency calls to 999 to request an ambulance. In 2024, the life-saving service has exceeded this figure with 331,190 calls in ten months, from January to October. Reducing the number of 999 calls for non-life-threatening conditions will allow HMC’s Ambulance Service to continue to respond quickly and effectively to the most critical cases.Abdulaziz Alyafei, assistant executive director, Emergency Healthcare Coordination for HMC Ambulance Service said: "Our ambulance teams are ready to respond rapidly to any patient with a life-threatening condition, 24 hours a day. With the significantly increased demand for the Ambulance Service being witnessed this year, it is vitally important that the public are educated about the types of symptoms that require an ambulance.”He added that "Every day, our Ambulance Service teams provide life-saving medical care to critically ill patients who have experienced a stroke, heart attack, road traffic accident, severe allergic reaction, seizure, chest pain or are unconscious, for example. To enable our teams to respond as quickly and effectively as possible to these life-saving cases, we are asking members of the public with non-emergency medical conditions not to call 999 and request an ambulance, but rather to make their own way to a relevant health facility for medical treatment."Ali Darwish, assistant executive director of HMC’s Ambulance Service noted: "The community of Qatar plays an integral part in supporting the Ambulance Service with its ability to reach those in need quickly. In medical emergencies, time is of the essence. The role of the Ambulance Service is to deliver rapid emergency medical support to people experiencing a life-threatening injury or illness and provide subsequent transfer to an appropriate hospital emergency department.""With support from the community of Qatar to make the best choice for their level of healthcare needs, our paramedics can continue to reach casualties rapidly and deliver lifesaving care by reducing incoming calls for non-emergency cases.”Darwish also stressed that people with genuine life-threatening medical conditions should not hesitate to call 999 for an ambulance and the Ambulance Service teams remain ready to rapidly respond to anyone in Qatar with a life-threatening medical condition.