Thread: Patient dies as rescuers fight over who gets to treat him

HEALTH;
Patient dies as rescuers fight over who gets to treat him


A draft bill on medical emergencies, aimed at safeguarding patients from substandard and unprofessional rescue operations, will be proposed for cabinet consideration by the Public Health Ministry. The move follows a brawl between an emergency team from Samut Prakan hospital and a private rescue unit in Samut Prakan's Muang district on Monday night.

The two rescue units fought over who was to deliver a patient suffering from breathing difficulties to a hospital.

The fight broke out when the state emergency team told the private rescue unit to back off so they could hook the patient up to a respiratory machine.

The private rescue volunteers refused to move and tried to disrupt the state emergency unit's operation. One of the hospital's emergency staff was also beaten. The Samut Prakan hospital emergency team eventually managed to move the patient to their car but it was too late. The patient died on the way to the hospital.

Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla yesterday visited Samut Prakan Hospital's emergency team to give them moral support.

''This tragedy stresses the need for an overhaul of the medical emergency system in the country,'' the minister said.

He said there were a number of private emergency response units whose work overlapped with those of state medical emergency teams. The overlap had led to confusion during the operation.

Under the draft bill, all rescue volunteers must undergo special training, while private emergency units must register with the ministry and state hospitals in their working areas. Their medical equipment must be certified by the ministry.

The minister said he was confident that the bill would be endorsed by the cabinet and the National Legislative Assembly before the interim government's term ends this year.
Dr Mongkol added that around 80% of rescue volunteers across the country had already undergone training organised by the ministry and become partners of local state hospitals in rescue operations.

Bangkok Post