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New measures to improve ambulance services

The Fire Services Department (FSD) is actively pursuing the implementation of the recommendations made by a consultant to improve the emergency ambulance services, the Chief Ambulance Officer, Mr Mak Kwai-pui, said today (Tuesday).

Mr Mak said: "The consultant has recommended a number of immediate measures which involve no additional resources but will collectively improve the performance of emergency ambulance services by two per cent over the coming two

years.

"We have already adopted some of the measures and the transfer of the remaining non-emergency removals to another agency may be completed within the next financial year."

The immediate measures include optimising the deployment of ambulances and crews to areas of high local demand, improving the geographical coverage by stationing ambulances at some key fire stations and streamlining operational procedures to achieve a more efficient mobilisation of ambulances.

On recommendations with new resources implications. Mr Mak said they would be actively pursued in the context of the Government's 1996 Resources Allocation Exercise (RAE).

Mr Mak said FSD had already submitted a proposal, in advance of the 1996 RAE, to retain 15 manned ambulances which had become surplus upon the completion of transfer of the non-emergency removals to the Hospital Authority.

"This particular proposal will in effect advance and immediately make available half of the additional 31 ambulances the consultant identified to be required," he said.

On the proposed six-minute response time standard, Mr Mak said the consultant had recommended that a response time target should only be considered when the emergency service could consistently achieve a standard that 95 per cent of all emergency calls fall within the 10-minute travel time target.

"Adoption of a six-minute response time standard at this juncture is not only unrealistic but will require disproportionately more resources which would not be cost-effective," Mr Mak stressed.

End