Make Way For The Ambulance Please

Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway. The road was no good for more than a year
and yet the users have to pay full toll(ambulance excluded).

I was at an interview meet yesterday noon when i received a call telling me that i had to accompany a patient to Institute Peadiatics, Kuala Lumpur the next morning.

We started off at 5.30 am so that our patient, *Aulia will arrive early and could be attended during the morning rounds. Aulia was born in Kuantan 1 1/2 years ago with intestinal atresia and corrective surgery was done. She later developed complications and was down with sepsis, unresolving streptococcus infection. She was admitted to our hospital 1 week ago for pyrexia of unknown origin presented with jaundice, hepato spleenomegaly, anaemia, thrombocytopenia, leucocytosis, multiple lymphadenopathy, and failure to thrive. She was stabilized and later to be sent for her further management at Institute Paediatric where she was regularly treated.

However, the story I want to tell is not about Aulia but the road ethics of our road users in response to emergency sirens. We entered Gombak at about 7.40 am in the morning and the traffic was heavy. I was almost to tears when i saw the drivers quickly make way to allow our ambulance to pass. If its a two-lane road, they will try their best, adjusting their crawling cars so that our ambulance can pass through. They will steer to the left or right which ever appropiate as a good responsible samaritan would be. I guessed that was the best they could do to a stranger in great need and may be dying in the ambulance. We arrived at Paediatric Institute around 8.00 am. Hats off to Kuala Lumpur drivers at Gombak-Setapak!

At Jalan Pahang, near Titiwangsa. The cars are moving away from the dotted line.

We sent Aulia to ward KK3, had our breakfast at Kampung Baru and started back home at around 9.00 am. At Bentong, we received a call from Kuantan to fetch an unconscious patient at Batu 10 Jalan Gambang. He is the father of one of our consultants.

We reached the house at 11.20 am. *Pakcik Hassan was unarousable and secreations were dripping from the corner of his mouth. He had history of hypertension, cardiovascular accident, ischaemic heat disease and on medications. He was unconcious for almost 6 hours. and we didnt have a glucometer with us to check his blood glucose level. Nevertheless, we set a 1/5 DS drip and gave a shot of 50% dextrose. it is best not to miss a hypoglycaemic coma which is easily treatable.

We were on the road again at moderately high speed with the sirens blaring. There were not many cars on the road and the mood was really relaxing. A few cars gave way but most drove as nothing was happening. Many drivers hesitated but eventually moved to the side. There was a car that decided to overtake another slower car first before getting back to the left lane. A few just ignored the siren and continue on the right lane. A vast difference between Kuala Luampur and Kuantan road users!

Approaching Kuantan at Jalan Gambang. A very relaxed driver. Sefish? Ignorant?

We arrived at the emergency unit 5 minutes to 12.00, get Pakcik Hassan inside, proped him up, did oral suction, oxygen 3L/m via nasal prong, ECG stat, RBS was 8.4 and get the doctor on duty to manage him.

Again, kudos to the KL drivers along Gombak-Setapak!

*Not their real names