Illegal ambulance confiscated
By Xu Chi |
June 3, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TRAFFIC police yesterday seized an unlicensed ambulance which looked like a normal hospital vehicle but supplied its patients with industrial oxygen, a gas banned for medical use.
The vehicle was seized at 9am at a hospital in Yangpu District during a citywide crackdown launched jointly by health authorities, the traffic administration and police against unlicensed "underground" ambulances.
Although the vehicle had all the equipment that a normal ambulance should have, including first-aid kits, alarm lights and siren and hospital signs, the law enforcement team uncovered a great safety hazard after carrying out a thorough check.
The most serious danger was with the oxygen cylinder which was not filled with medical oxygen but with the industrial variety that is banned for medical use, said Shen Jiming, an official with the Shanghai Medical Emergency Center.
"Industrial oxygen can be fatally damaging to patients as it may contain exhaust, impurities, and even toxic gas," said Shen.
The law enforcement team also found the vehicle was equipped with a simple stretcher but had no sterilizing devices, which could put patients at high risk of cross-infection.
According to traffic police, there have been cases where patients have died in "underground" ambulances because unlicensed doctors in the vehicle were not able to revive them en route to hospitals.
They also warned that although "underground" ambulances may be cheaper than licensed ones, very often their owners would charge extra fees during the trip as they knew that the patients' relatives were not in a position to refuse their demands.
According to Shen, "underground" ambulances emerged in the city several years ago when there were not enough licensed ambulances to carry patients across provinces.
The problem has since been fixed with more ambulances put into use, but the "underground" ambulance business continues to boom as they usually offer cheaper services than the legal ambulances, said Shen.
"Owners of illegal ambulances often hire workers to spy in hospitals and send out advertisements of their services so they can establish early contact with potential patients," Shen added.
Police said they were investigating the owner of the ambulance, who faces punishment for illegally modifying the vehicle, using police siren and lights, and for unlicensed practice of medicine.
The vehicle was seized at 9am at a hospital in Yangpu District during a citywide crackdown launched jointly by health authorities, the traffic administration and police against unlicensed "underground" ambulances.
Although the vehicle had all the equipment that a normal ambulance should have, including first-aid kits, alarm lights and siren and hospital signs, the law enforcement team uncovered a great safety hazard after carrying out a thorough check.
The most serious danger was with the oxygen cylinder which was not filled with medical oxygen but with the industrial variety that is banned for medical use, said Shen Jiming, an official with the Shanghai Medical Emergency Center.
"Industrial oxygen can be fatally damaging to patients as it may contain exhaust, impurities, and even toxic gas," said Shen.
The law enforcement team also found the vehicle was equipped with a simple stretcher but had no sterilizing devices, which could put patients at high risk of cross-infection.
According to traffic police, there have been cases where patients have died in "underground" ambulances because unlicensed doctors in the vehicle were not able to revive them en route to hospitals.
They also warned that although "underground" ambulances may be cheaper than licensed ones, very often their owners would charge extra fees during the trip as they knew that the patients' relatives were not in a position to refuse their demands.
According to Shen, "underground" ambulances emerged in the city several years ago when there were not enough licensed ambulances to carry patients across provinces.
The problem has since been fixed with more ambulances put into use, but the "underground" ambulance business continues to boom as they usually offer cheaper services than the legal ambulances, said Shen.
"Owners of illegal ambulances often hire workers to spy in hospitals and send out advertisements of their services so they can establish early contact with potential patients," Shen added.
Police said they were investigating the owner of the ambulance, who faces punishment for illegally modifying the vehicle, using police siren and lights, and for unlicensed practice of medicine.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
