Fried banana stop lands ambulance driver in the soup

With a patient on board the ambulance, the ambulance driver stopped on the way to the hospital to pick up fried bananas. - The Nation

BANGKOK (The Nation/Asia News Network): Is a three-second delay too long when an ambulance is rushing a patient to hospital?

Apparently, it was a very long delay for the daughter of a patient in Nakhon Nayok, who accused an ambulance driver of putting her father’s life at risk.

However, an investigation conducted by the Nakhon Nayok Hospital on Monday (Oct 16) showed that though the three-second delay did not put anyone at risk, the driver was still at fault.

The hospital released a timeline of the ambulance after Suchada Nammali, 32, posted a clip on Facebook of herself shouting at the ambulance driver and demanding an explanation from the hospital.

In the clip, Suchada is seen asking the driver why he had to slow down to admire plants before entering the lane where her house was located and why he had to stop to buy fried bananas.

The driver is seen looking guilty and nodding without any argument.

Her clip went viral prompting many netizens to post comments slamming the driver for being unprofessional.

Suchada also spoke to members of the media, saying the hospital was slow in sending an ambulance to pick up her father after an onslaught of a chronic condition on Oct 13.

She also claimed that the ambulance medics wasted time arguing with her when she wanted to send her nephew, 22, along with her father.

She said they insisted that she accompany her dad personally. So, she said, she gave up and rushed into the house to get dressed, only to find the ambulance had left without her.

Upon arriving in the hospital, she learned from her nephew that the driver was telling another medic that the plants in a shop were beautiful before he stopped to pick fried bananas he had ordered earlier.

The hospital, meanwhile, indicated that the timeframe was normal and that Suchada’s father was not in a serious condition.

Here is the timeline:

• 10.27am: The hospital received a call that a patient has become unconscious.

• 10.28am: The hospital orders an ambulance to pick up the patient.

• 10.29am: The ambulance departs the premises to pick up the patient.

• 10.38am: The ambulance arrives at the scene and medic performs preliminary checkup, first aid and checks the pulse. The patient’s vital signs are recorded as normal.

• 10.47am: The ambulance leaves the house for the hospital and slows down for three seconds when the driver picks up fried bananas from a vendor waiting by the roadside. “This was inappropriate behaviour in an emergency situation,” the hospital said.

• 10.57am: The ambulance arrives in hospital and the patient is rushed to the emergency ward before being admitted for one night. The patient’s general condition appears normal and doctors discharged him at 2pm on Oct 14.