AMBULANCES AND THE PUBLIC.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 191, 13 August 1919, Page 8

AMBULANCES AND THE PUBLIC.

HOW MATTERS STAND. PECULIAR CASE EXPLAINED. People who saw an apparently injured or sick person being conveyed through the city yesterday upon a stretcher laid over the seats of a motor car, were probably led to wonder why this was necessary, seeing that there arc two' motor ambulances at the hospital and one on the waterfront. Some inquiries made by a reporter show that there is a good deal of misunderstanding about the use of the local motor ambulances for the conveyance of injured or disabled . people. | The history of the case in question appears to be as follows: The patient,, a young man, broke one of his legs . just above the ankle. This occurred at a coastal settlement, lie was treated by the local doctor and sent to Auckland by steamer. His father, wishing to have him taken to his home, got into communication with the St. John's AmbuU'.nce Association, in the mistaken belief that they could supply a motor ambulc.nce. The Association's representatives, believing that the father had applied unsuccessfully for the use of a hospital ambulance, got a squad of men together, put the patient on a stretcher, and took him home upon a motor car, after the fashion made familiar to Aucklanders in the epidemic time. Asked about the matter, Captain E. J. Thomas, house manager of the Auckland Hospital, said no application had been made to the medical superintendent or to himself for an ambulance, but if the circumstances were as stated, there would have been no hesitation over supplying one. "Strictly speaking," said Captain Thomas, "our two ambulances are intended for the conveyance of suri gical cases tn the hospital, and as far as work allows, to private hospitals. They are not intended to be used for the conveyance of injured persons to their homes. If we allowed that as a general rule, we should have all our hospital patients asking to be removed to their homes by ambulance. However, we consider all applications on their merits, and in cases where a patient is not fit to travel by any means other than an ambulance, we willingly grant the use of one, making the same charge as a taxi-proprietor." "Supposing a helplessly paralysed person had to bo moved from one house to another, would you allow the use of an ambulance';" asked the reporter. "Certainly," said Captain Thomas. - but we have to be careful, or we may ho imposed on. Once wo sent a motor ambulance to an address in Parnell. The driver stopped at tiie address given, aud saw a man sitting on the kerbstone, outside the house,"smoking. He asked the man whore tho patient was, and got the reply. ' Oh, I'm the patient.' We have only two ambulances for surgical cases, and if we allowed them to be used for cases where they were not really needed, we should be in difficulties at once. Ho;\ever, as I said, we are ready to give help in real emergencies when they occur." As regards the waterfront ambulance, it appears that the position is very much the same. The ambulance was bought, and is maintained, to take accident cases from tho waterfront to the hospital, and though its use for other cases is I not begrudged, it oannt# properly be | diverted at frequent intervals without detracting from its usefulness to the shipping community.

It is worthy of remark that an appeal is to bo made to the public for funds to replace the two ambulances at the hospital, which have been in constant use for five years or so. and are nowfast wearing out. It is also understood that the St.- John Ambulance Association has a scheme afoot for purchasing a motor ambulance to handle cases not coming within the s co pe of the ambulances now in use.