The disturbing story of a Surrey family who called 911 for an ambulance for an eight-year-old girl in medical distress last Friday but ended up having to drive her to hospital themselves is not an isolated case, the Now-Leader has learned.

Sadaf Khan said she has yet to receive an explanation why an ambulance didn91裸聊视频檛 come to take her daughter to hospital after they called 911 for help. She said Aira was in 91裸聊视频渟evere pain91裸聊视频� after she fell in the bathtub at about 4:20 p.m., June 18.

91裸聊视频淪he91裸聊视频檚 OK now,91裸聊视频� Khan said. 91裸聊视频淪he passed out, she was in severe pain, she was not able to talk.91裸聊视频�

Khan said they waited about half an hour before calling again. On the second call, she said, she was told an ambulance wasn91裸聊视频檛 available and that they should bring her to the hospital themselves, which they did.

91裸聊视频淚t was really tough for us, for our whole family,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淭he ambulance never showed up.91裸聊视频�

Shannon Miller, a spokeswoman for BC Emergency Health Services, said Thursday that the call was deemed 91裸聊视频渘on-urgent,91裸聊视频� as in 91裸聊视频渘ot serious or life threatening.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淥n June 18 at that time, we were experiencing a high call volume and did not have an ambulance immediately available as paramedics were responding to time-critical and potentially life-threatening medical emergency calls,91裸聊视频� Miller said.

91裸聊视频淎 BCEHS Paramedic Specialist conducted an assessment over the phone, and assessed the patient was in stable condition. Following a consultation with the Paramedic Specialist the caller stated they would transport the patient to hospital themselves,91裸聊视频� she added. 91裸聊视频淲e know it can be incredibly stressful waiting for an ambulance during a medical emergency. We can assure BC residents paramedics continue to get to critical patients and prioritize our responses based on the medical priority dispatch system used around the world. This means patients with life-threatening symptoms including cardiac arrest and breathing difficulties receive the highest priority response.91裸聊视频�

Miller said BCEHS is currently experiencing higher than usual call volumes, and not only in Surrey, which generates about 50,000 medical emergency calls each year. She said this amounts to an average of roughly 140 calls per day to 911 from people requesting an ambulance.

91裸聊视频淭his month, those numbers are averaging about 150 calls a day,91裸聊视频� Miller told the Now-Leader. 91裸聊视频淚n the first three weeks of June there has been 3,443 medical emergency calls, and of those calls 33 per cent of them were life-threatening, 91裸聊视频楶urple or Red91裸聊视频� in our clinical model of response.91裸聊视频�

Bilal Cheema, a friend of the Khans, questions how often scenarios like the one the Khans experienced occur in Surrey.

91裸聊视频淭hey called for an ambulance and they said it91裸聊视频檚 on its way. When someone calls for an ambulance and they say it91裸聊视频檚 on its way, it gives them so much comfort right, like OK, help91裸聊视频檚 on its way,91裸聊视频� he remarked. But 30 minutes went by, he said. Thirty five, and no ambulance. 91裸聊视频淓ight year old child.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 not good enough, even under COVID circumstances,91裸聊视频� Cheema said. 91裸聊视频淥ne of the things that separates us from a lot of places in the world is governance, right, and knowing that you can get help when you need it.91裸聊视频�

Meantime, Newton resident Marie Van Camp, 64, was walking down to the store at 64th Avenue and Scott Road, at about 2:30 p.m. on June 9 when suddenly she was in medical distress.

91裸聊视频淚 became very short of breath, I couldn91裸聊视频檛 breathe, I was blacking out. My husband was with me, he got me over onto the grass and I just collapsed onto the grass,91裸聊视频� she told the Now-Leader.

When she came to, her husband was calling 911. A Surrey firetruck showed up 35 minutes later with a crew of three who checked her blood pressure, and got her on oxygen. She already knew she had a suspected blood clot 91裸聊视频� she91裸聊视频檇 been into a doctor about it.

91裸聊视频淭hat morning I woke up with excruciating pain in the back of my leg,91裸聊视频� she recalled. 91裸聊视频淭he ambulance never did come.91裸聊视频� Van Camp said one of the firefighters told her 91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 think they91裸聊视频檙e coming91裸聊视频� and suggested her husband Ray drive her to emergency. 91裸聊视频淵ou better drive her, and here91裸聊视频檚 what to do if she stops breathing en route 91裸聊视频� you call 911.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淲e said well we did that already, and we didn91裸聊视频檛 get an ambulance the first time so why would we get an ambulance the second time?91裸聊视频�

Her son drove her to SMH emergency, where she spent 11 hours. Van Camp said she told the medical practitioners that she thinks she had a blood clot and that she91裸聊视频檇 had the AstraZeneca vaccine.

She said they found a clot and a doctor told her she was 91裸聊视频渧ery lucky.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 on blood thinners and will be for three months.91裸聊视频�

Van Camp described a hospital in chaos.

91裸聊视频淭he nurses were saying to each other 91裸聊视频榃hat the hell is going on? This is nuts.91裸聊视频� The doctor said 91裸聊视频榃e haven91裸聊视频檛 been this crazy busy since COVID started.91裸聊视频� The guy beside me, he91裸聊视频檇 been waiting to be seen for eight hours,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淧eople were getting up and walking out, they were saying this is f-ing stupid, I91裸聊视频檓 not waiting. And I heard a doctor saying well it couldn91裸聊视频檛 be that bad, it can91裸聊视频檛 be that serious if they91裸聊视频檙e not willing to wait. I saw four or five people get up and walk out.91裸聊视频�

She was instructed to call the thrombosis clinic at the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre and tried four times to get through, with 91裸聊视频渘o satisfaction.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淣obody ever called me back.91裸聊视频� She eventually drove there. 91裸聊视频淚 thought I91裸聊视频檓 not coming out until I91裸聊视频檝e spoken to somebody. So, a huge runaround inside as well. Finally I did get an appointment.91裸聊视频�

Van Camp said she wants to know why an ambulance did not show up. Was her ordeal scary?

91裸聊视频淵ou bet.91裸聊视频�

She said she only called 911 once before, for a medical emergency when she lived in Delta, and 91裸聊视频渢hey (an ambulance) were there within minutes.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淎pparently there91裸聊视频檚 a shortage of drivers or attendants.91裸聊视频�

The BCEHS has yet to provide an explanation for Van Camp91裸聊视频檚 case.

Miller confirmed Friday that BCEHS received a 911 call at 2:38 p.m. on June 9 for a patient experiencing shortness of breath in the 6400-block of 120th Street in Surrey.

91裸聊视频淏ased on the information from the caller the call was triaged in our dispatch centre as a Yellow call (requiring a non-lights-and sirens ambulance response),91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淎n ambulance was dispatched and en route was diverted to respond to a more urgent, time-critical call. At 2:57 the fire department was notified of the call. A second ambulance was dispatched and also diverted to a higher acuity call.

91裸聊视频淎t 3:59 we received a call from the fire department to cancel the call and indicating the patient was being transported by family.91裸聊视频�

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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