The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook statement that they have noted an increase in the number of 995 emergency calls in the first week of July.
They said that if the calls continue to climb, the public may face delays in ambulance response.
SCDF’s statement
[Increase in 995 EMS Calls]
995 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) calls to SCDF have increased to about 760 calls a day on average in the first week of July, with the highest being 810.
The average daily number of EMS calls pre-COVID-19 was about 550.
If EMS calls continue to climb, the public may experience delays in ambulance response, particularly for less critical medical incidents.
We are monitoring the situation closely. We have put in place measures to manage the increase in EMS Calls. Some of these measures are:
• Optimise and adjust deployments of ambulances to areas with a high rate of medical emergency calls
• Continue prioritising our response to critical life-threatening medical emergencies
• Patients assessed by SCDF paramedics to have non-emergency medical conditions will not be conveyed to hospital
Our 995 call takers, paramedics and frontliners are doing their best to provide swift conveyance to hospital for people with life-threatening and emergency medical conditions.
Here’s what YOU can do to help.
Refrain from calling 995 if you are not suffering any life-threatening or emergency medical conditions.
By doing so, SCDF can continue to provide swift conveyance to those who require our emergency medical services.
