Who can be blamed for this grave mistake?

Stretcher carrying injured man collapses twice

By Juliana Menon

Motorcyclist Yu Yew Kuan lies injured on the road next to the stretcher while passersby help him. ― Malay Mail pic

PETALING JAYA, Sept 13 — “Bad luck comes in 3s”, so goes the maxim, which aptly describes events which befell a Negri Sembilan senior citizen — now deceased.

Yu Yew Kuan, while riding his motorcycle, was involved in a collision with another motorcycle in Jalan Besar Kim Loong, Jelebu.

The 62-year-old was knocked unconscious, sustaining fractures to his right arm and leg.

He remained on the street for more than 15 minutes under the scorching heat, and Samaritans, who rushed to his aid, used umbrellas to shield him.

Passersby called emergency services, but according to them, it took the ambulance about 20 minutes to arrive from Jelebu Hospital on August 6.

When the ambulance crew rolled out the wheeled stretcher and were about to lift Yu onto the flat bed, one set of wheels buckled inwards.

The crew readjusted the wheels, then used a hand carry stretcher to move Yu back onto the wheeled stretcher before rushing him to the hospital in the ambulance.

Some of the Samaritans who earlier helped Yu also followed the ambulance.

Shockingly, upon being taken out from the ambulance to the hospital’s Emergency and Trauma Department, the same set of wheels buckled inwards again, throwing Yu forward.

He landed face down on the road and started bleeding profusely from his head and facial injuries, according to Yu’s daughter, May Yu Chan Tien.

With the help of medical assistants on duty, they lifted Yu back onto the same stretcher and rushed him to the Emergency and Trauma Department.

May said when the wheels first retracted at the accident scene, the ambulance crew was quick to fix it.

“When the wheels buckled again at the hospital, my father was hurled onto the ground because he was not properly strapped in,” she said.

“My father’s head was bleeding heavily. Even after that, the hospital staff refused to take any responsibility.”

Yu was admitted to the Emergency and Trauma Department, but several hours later, he was transferred to the Seremban Hospital more than 35km away.

“I was told the transfer was necessary as his condition had worsened,” May said.

Yu succumbed to his injuries at about 11.50pm the same day.

“I can’t believe all this happened ... I never got a chance to hear his last words,” May said. She said she was still mourning and was at her wits’ end on what to do next.

I am now back online... after a long hiatus :)

Sorry guys and gals,

For not having updated the page. There had been many developments in these last few years, namely:-

1. We all have graduated a couple of years back. One our most senior student Mr Mohanadasan was interviewed by OUM magazine (photo above).

2. Many of us are still passionate about paramedics, a few sadly no.

3. We had our practical training at Emergency Dept of Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM). Excellent preceptors and atmosphere.

4. I have been lax in my practice and training, but no longer. Will be active starting this Hari Kemerdekaan on 31 August.

I will be updating this blog again from time to time, God willing. The time to help people is NOW!

We are always on the job (well, not literally)

Today I witnessed a small fire which could have been stopped, if people nearby were more pro-active. But everyone chose to watch from a nearby restaurant while I, who was 10 floors and more than 100 metres away, had to take matters in hand by bringing along a fire extinguisher. Upon arrival, the fire was already too big for my puny extinguisher, and a call was made to the professionals, ie. Abang Bomba..

Not to blame them, but I gave the exact location and they managed to get themselves lost. When asked, they said they were looking for smoke and by the time they arrived, the construction hut was already flattened by fire. Sad but I tried.

Paramedics are non-partisan...

Thank God, OUM DPHEC students on a last minute effort and arrangement, with contributions from the concerned public, managed to set up an air tent complete with doctors, paramedics and ambulances for the 'Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat 2013' at the Stadium Merdeka.

The organisers had previously arranged so that should there be any medical emergencies, all patients would be brought to hospital for treatment. With our presence, (Yes OUM students!), patients were assessed first at our mini 'field hospital', and only a few serious cases required further treatment at the hospital.

Putera Club ambulances to the rescue

PUTRAJAYA: The Emergency Bureau of Putera 1Malaysia Club will place 11 ambulances at several hotspots along the highways from today until Sept 5 in view of the Hari Raya rush.

The ambulance unit was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the lobby of the Perdana Putra building here yesterday.

Club president Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim said the ambulances would be on 24-hour stand-by at several locations along the Kuala Lumpur-Bukit Kayu Hitam Subang toll, Sungai Besi-Johor Baru toll and Gombak-Gua Musang toll highways.

“The vehicles will have emergency equipment and there will be 11 volunteer doctors and 66 paramedics made up of college students and former Mat Rempit (illegal motorcycle racers),” he told reporters.

“We will work with the highway authorities, police, and the Fire and Rescue Department,” he added. — Bernama

Nurse in ambulance-taxi collision succumbs to injuries

MALACCA: A nurse who crawled out alive from an overturned ambulance on Monday has died.

Yuhana Yasin, 30, from Parit Jawa, Muar, suffered serious internal injuries in the 6.50pm accident when a taxi rammed the rear of the ambulance at the Seri Negeri/MITC junction in Ayer Keroh.

A critically-ill patient Maryam Baba, 73, who was being rushed to Hospital Kuala Lumpur in the same ambulance, also died at Malacca Hospital due to serious head injuries sustained in the accident. Full news here

On Duty: Sunway Lagoon