By Noor Syahhira Hady
KUCHING: Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRC) Sarawak has launched its first community-based ambulance for non-emergency services.
The aim of the non-emergency ambulance is to help the A&E (accident and emergency) unit of hospitals by serving and fulfilling non-emergency issues.
“This ambulance is for patients who do not need immediate treatment.
“The ambulance service can help in transferring patients from hospital to homes upon discharge; transferring of stretcher-bound patients from hospitals or care centres; as well as to cater for staff or employees of corporate sectors who are ill at their workplace and need to be transferred to medical facilities,” said MRC Sarawak chairman Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam at the launching of its first non-emergency ambulance on Sunday (Oct 18).
However, Dr Chan stated that the ambulance services require funding to operate.
“We have to charge the users of our services otherwise we cannot sustain. We do not have enough money to give free services.
“That is why I would like to appeal to the generous public to voluntarily donate to MRC. Your generous contribution will definitely help us to fulfil our mission for the community,” he added.
Dr Chan mentioned that donations can be done through Sarawak Pay and those who donate more than RM100 will be given a first aid kit.
“Along the line, we also have a volunteers-on-wheels programme where the Red Crescent members use bicycles to help the people around such as picking up and buying medicine from pharmacies, as well as to help people around with their needs.
“We even have six volunteers-on-wheels at Kuching South City Council (MBKS) during the weekend to help people, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we had to stop the volunteer service for a while,” he added.
Dr Chan said that 30 volunteers-on-wheels services were spread throughout the state and if the programme is deemed successful, MRC will add more people and bicycles to these committee services.
“Of course, for this service, we do not charge as we want to help the community as much as we can,” he emphasised.
