Ministry of Health amended rules for "ambulance" work — precise arrival time of medics on call defined

Photo: Lookby.media

Now the document clearly regulates how quickly a brigade should arrive, which cases require immediate intervention, and when an ambulance does not respond. It has been published on the National Legal Internet Portal.

Under normal conditions, ambulance waiting time depends on the degree of call urgency and the patient's place of residence. In emergency situations threatening life, the brigade must arrive within 20 minutes in the city and no later than 35 minutes outside it. For calls requiring urgent assistance but not posing an immediate threat to life, the norms are up to 75 minutes in the city and up to 90 minutes in rural areas.

There are other categories of calls with established timeframes. For example, patient transportation or confirmation of death require a brigade's arrival within 135 minutes in the city and 150 minutes in other localities.

Consultations by a psychiatric brigade can take up to 195 minutes in the city and 210 minutes in rural areas. Responses to requests from internal affairs bodies for confirmation of death have their own norms — 75 and 90 minutes, respectively.

During periods of increased morbidity, for example, during epidemics, waiting times can increase to 195 minutes in the city and 210 minutes outside it.

Павялічыць

The document details which conditions are classified as emergencies. These include loss of consciousness, seizures, breathing problems, road accidents with casualties, severe burns, poisonings, cases of drowning or hanging, electrical injuries, childbirth, fires, and other situations that can lead to fatal outcomes. Special attention is paid to children under three years old: even burns of any degree or high fever with a rash are considered an emergency.

Urgent calls include allergic reactions, abdominal, back, or chest pain, high fever that does not decrease with antipyretics, bleeding, sharp blood pressure spikes, epileptic seizures in patients with a confirmed diagnosis, vomiting, food poisoning, and cases where the patient's condition deteriorates so much that it is impossible to adequately assess it by phone, or transportation is required.

The instruction also clearly defines in which cases an ambulance does not provide services.

Brigades do not prescribe further treatment, do not issue prescriptions or sick leave certificates, do not carry out appointments from other doctors, with the exception of pain relief for oncology patients outside of polyclinic working hours. Ambulances do not conduct examinations for alcohol or drug intoxication, do not engage in planned transportation of patients without medical indications, and do not perform care procedures or change previously installed medical devices.

• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0