Ambulance 118 expands fleet, services

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An elderly neighbor falls down. Blood is streaming down her face and she is crying in pain. You do not know first aid. What do you do?

Don't panic. Dial 65303118. It works like 911.

In an emergency situation, Jakartans can dial this number to connect with an ambulance service that will respond quickly with fully equipped emergency medical technicians (EMTs).

"People can dial 65303118 and connect directly to us. For true emergencies, we will first send an EMT and emergency equipment on a motorcycle, which can get through Jakarta's traffic faster than an ambulance," Asti Puspitarini, an EMT and a marketing officer at Emergency Ambulance 118, told The Jakarta Post recently.

"With our current fleet we can serve 80 to 100 patients a day. But right now we are only receiving 20 to 30 patients a day," she said, adding that Emergency Ambulance 118 had started advertising its services at schools.

Asti said 118 used to be the emergency phone number for the service, but in 2002 the government changed 118 to connect patients with the nearest hospital.

"The change created some problems because not all hospitals have ambulances ready to be dispatched," she said.

She added that if a patient called up a hospital for an ambulance, the ambulance would only deliver the patient back to that hospital.

"By using our service, patients can choose any hospital in Jakarta," Asti said.

Since August last year, Emergency Ambulance 118 has had about 50 ambulances and five motorbikes stationed at some 40 locations throughout Jakarta.

"The fleet, our office and all the equipment belong to the city administration. But the service is managed by the Association of Indonesian Surgeons," Asti said.

With its extensive fleet, Ambulance 118 can respond to a call in between 10 minutes and 15 minutes with an ambulance. The response time for motorbikes is even quicker.

Among the 50 ambulances belonging to the service are five special "paramedic ambulances", which carry more medical equipment than the other ambulances.

Ambulance 118 charges patients a flat rate of Rp 200,000, no matter how far the trip or whether patients require a special or a regular ambulance.

The service is free for poor Jakartans who can show proof of their financial status.

"We started charging for the service in 1991. Previously we served patients for free," said emergency medical technician H. Herbart, who has been with the service since 1976.

Ambulance 118 was set up in 1971 by the Association of Indonesian Surgeons, with the support of the local government.

The association established the service to transport victims of road accidents, but in 1978 the city administration expanded the service to deal with all emergencies.

"In the 1970s we only had four ambulances stationed at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta," Herbart said.

He said ideally the ambulance service would be free for all people, with the service paid for by the government as part of the public health program.

"However, there is a catch if the service is free. Some people will call an ambulance for, say, a case of the flu."

Though Ambulance 118 does charge patients, it still depends on a government subsidy for its survival.

"If we did not receive a subsidy from the government we would suffer a loss, because sending an ambulance costs us an average of Rp 500,000," he said.

Asti said Ambulance 118 also offered emergency training workshops for the public, covering such topics as basic life support and responding to medical emergencies.

"Many companies, like oil, gas and mining companies whose employees work outdoors, take the eight-hour training course," she said.

In addition, Ambulance 118 also provides services for event organizers.

"We can provide ambulances for concerts or wedding parties," Asti said.

Ambulance posts

Ambulance 118 headquarters
Jl. Sunter Permai Raya No. 1
Ancol Podomoro, North Jakarta
Tel. (021) 65303118, 64717089, 118

Some ambulance posts:
South Jakarta
-Pancoran Police Post
-Puri Cinere Hospital
-Tendean Medical Center
-South Jakarta Mayor's Office

Central Jakarta
-National Monument Square
-Pejompongan Police Post
-Central Jakarta Police Office

North Jakarta
-Ancol Dreamland
-North Jakarta Mayor's Office
-Cempaka Mas Police Post

West Jakarta
-Kalideres Police Post
-Harapan Kita Hospital

East Jakarta
-East Jakarta Mayor's Office
-Kebon Nanas Police Post
-UKI Hospital