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I don’t get why people are even bothering to call at this point, surely you’re better off calling a taxi or driving the person yourself and then just carrying t

by rcarr 4y ago

I don’t get why people are even bothering to call at this point, surely you’re better off calling a taxi or driving the person yourself and then just carrying them into the ER and shouting for help. They’re in the building that way and they can’t just ignore a collapsed person in the middle of a hallway

anonporridge 4y ago
A lot of people are doing exactly that. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/20/world/europe/uk-ambulance-delay-nhs-strike.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/20/world/europe/uk-ambulance... But the problem isn't with the ambulances, it's with overcrowded hospitals.
balaji1 4y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35131249 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35131249 I remember an article that some ambulance drivers are doing it as volunteering (they are trained). There could be a rideshare/gig-economy take on deploying more ambulances+drivers subsidized by hospitals/government: and drivers can be called in on-demand during surge - local community folks would be driving anyway. I understand EMT are very well trained. You would want those techs to be as trained as possible. So that could be the limiting factor.
madaxe_again 4y ago
There isn’t much point in going to A&E - there are no doctors. I amputated my fingertip (halfway up the final joint, with a blunt instrument - crushed the thing off) a week ago and was told to go home and use glue and tape to close the wound, and to throw away the tip. I’ve been dunking it in meths to sterilise and dry it. They literally did nothing. Contrast to Latvia where I bisected my thumb with an axe and they put it back together about 20 minutes later and charged me €9. I also have a 8 week old child - zero checkups, no vaccination appointments available, no doctors appointments available. No follow ups for my wife after birth. Oh, and we had to do it all at home, as there is no space in hospital for childbirth - the beds are all full of people who should be in old people’s homes, but there are no spaces in homes for them to move to. I am ridiculously glad to be back in Portugal as of today, and tomorrow I will take her to the village clinic, where she will finally have a medical inspection.
- kkfdkerpoe 4y ago
  Defunding of old people's homes (and lack of staff) seems to be a problem in my here in FInland as well. Elders who aren't in good enough condition to live alone end up just flooding ER rooms. Nurses visiting at home may be cheaper, but it's not a working solution for everyone.
- rcarr 4y ago
  Username checks out. You're in decent company, I believe Randolph Fiennes also self amputated his fingertip after it got frostbite on one of his expeditions.

by rcarr 4y ago

anonporridge 4y ago

A lot of people are doing exactly that. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/20/world/europe/uk-ambulance-delay-nhs-strike.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/20/world/europe/uk-ambulance... But the problem isn't with the ambulances, it's with overcrowded hospitals.

balaji1 4y ago

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35131249 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35131249 I remember an article that some ambulance drivers are doing it as volunteering (they are trained). There could be a rideshare/gig-economy take on deploying more ambulances+drivers subsidized by hospitals/government: and drivers can be called in on-demand during surge - local community folks would be driving anyway. I understand EMT are very well trained. You would want those techs to be as trained as possible. So that could be the limiting factor.

madaxe_again 4y ago

There isn’t much point in going to A&E - there are no doctors. I amputated my fingertip (halfway up the final joint, with a blunt instrument - crushed the thing off) a week ago and was told to go home and use glue and tape to close the wound, and to throw away the tip. I’ve been dunking it in meths to sterilise and dry it. They literally did nothing. Contrast to Latvia where I bisected my thumb with an axe and they put it back together about 20 minutes later and charged me €9. I also have a 8 week old child - zero checkups, no vaccination appointments available, no doctors appointments available. No follow ups for my wife after birth. Oh, and we had to do it all at home, as there is no space in hospital for childbirth - the beds are all full of people who should be in old people’s homes, but there are no spaces in homes for them to move to. I am ridiculously glad to be back in Portugal as of today, and tomorrow I will take her to the village clinic, where she will finally have a medical inspection.

kkfdkerpoe 4y ago
Defunding of old people's homes (and lack of staff) seems to be a problem in my here in FInland as well. Elders who aren't in good enough condition to live alone end up just flooding ER rooms. Nurses visiting at home may be cheaper, but it's not a working solution for everyone.
rcarr 4y ago
Username checks out. You're in decent company, I believe Randolph Fiennes also self amputated his fingertip after it got frostbite on one of his expeditions.