Ambulance 118 expands fleet, services
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