Female Focus
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FF - Your healthy magazine The consequences of ambulances going in the wrong direction
This month the team at Asociacion Amigos Europeos de Jávea (AAEdJ) have asked us to write about a practice which is now becoming all too commonplace within the Spanish State Ambulance system, and which could potentially affect a patient’s chances of immediate treatment, and even more importantly their chances of survival or full recovery.
Rather like with the NHS in the UK, but thankfully not yet to the same extent, the Spanish Health System is coming under increasing pressure from a rising number of patients. As a result many ambulances are now under orders, even in emergency situations, to take patients only to certain pre-nominated Spanish hospitals - usually to the nearest state facility. The problems with this are twofold:
Firstly, even if you pay for and have private health insurance cover, if a state ambulance is called to you in an emergency, the fact that you have private health insurance may be completely ignored, and you may find yourself heading off to another hospital. Upon arrival you may then have to enter the traditional nursing ‘triage’ system, which may considerably delay you receiving the very best treatment.
Secondly, certain hospitals are accepted to have better equipment, experience and success rates in treating various types of medical emergency, such as a stroke or a heart attack. As we described in this article last month, any delay in getting to the best hospital for a particular condition could potentially have very serious consequences. With strokes, heart attacks, seizures etc every moment counts, and it is important to get to the best equipped hospital as quickly as possible for whatever type of emergency.
The Asociacion Amigos Europeos de Jávea fleet of ambulances will speed you to the right hospital without delay. As an AAEdJ Member, already pre-programmed into their ambulance on-board computers are your home address details (so they can get to your house swiftly even if you live way off in the campo), details of your medical history (relating to any medical conditions you have suffered in the past), and also the details of your private health provider (so that they know the private hospitals that you can be rushed to).
This means that if you have already taken the important step of taking out private health insurance cover, you should also be an AAEdJ member as well. Or, despite you paying for your private health insurance, in the event of a medical emergency you could find yourself heading off in a different direction from the private hospital that you really should be going to.
The AAEdJ ambulance service covers almost all of Costa Blanca North and will come straight to you wherever you are. Cover costs just €50 for a whole year for the whole family, so membership is fantastic value. To become a member of the AAEdJ call and speak with Laure Bolufer the Registration Manager on 96 579 6099 (Laure works from 10am to 1pm every weekday).
ASOCIACION AMIGOS EUROPEOS DE JAVEA. Avenida Juan Carlos 1, No 69, 03730 Jávea. Telephone 96 579 6099 (24hr) Email:
amigos_europeos@yahoo.es.
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