The disturbing story of a Surrey family who called 911 for an ambulance for an eight-year-old girl in medical distress last Friday but ended up having to drive her to hospital themselves is not an isolated case, the Now-Leader has learned.

Sadaf Khan said she has yet to receive an explanation why an ambulance didnsa国际传媒檛 come to take her daughter to hospital after they called 911 for help. She said Aira was in sa国际传媒渟evere painsa国际传媒� after she fell in the bathtub at about 4:20 p.m., June 18.

sa国际传媒淪hesa国际传媒檚 OK now,sa国际传媒� Khan said. sa国际传媒淪he passed out, she was in severe pain, she was not able to talk.sa国际传媒�

Khan said they waited about half an hour before calling again. On the second call, she said, she was told an ambulance wasnsa国际传媒檛 available and that they should bring her to the hospital themselves, which they did.

sa国际传媒淚t was really tough for us, for our whole family,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淭he ambulance never showed up.sa国际传媒�

Shannon Miller, a spokeswoman for BC Emergency Health Services, said Thursday that the call was deemed sa国际传媒渘on-urgent,sa国际传媒� as in sa国际传媒渘ot serious or life threatening.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淥n June 18 at that time, we were experiencing a high call volume and did not have an ambulance immediately available as paramedics were responding to time-critical and potentially life-threatening medical emergency calls,sa国际传媒� Miller said.

sa国际传媒淎 BCEHS Paramedic Specialist conducted an assessment over the phone, and assessed the patient was in stable condition. Following a consultation with the Paramedic Specialist the caller stated they would transport the patient to hospital themselves,sa国际传媒� she added. sa国际传媒淲e know it can be incredibly stressful waiting for an ambulance during a medical emergency. We can assure BC residents paramedics continue to get to critical patients and prioritize our responses based on the medical priority dispatch system used around the world. This means patients with life-threatening symptoms including cardiac arrest and breathing difficulties receive the highest priority response.sa国际传媒�

Miller said BCEHS is currently experiencing higher than usual call volumes, and not only in Surrey, which generates about 50,000 medical emergency calls each year. She said this amounts to an average of roughly 140 calls per day to 911 from people requesting an ambulance.

sa国际传媒淭his month, those numbers are averaging about 150 calls a day,sa国际传媒� Miller told the Now-Leader. sa国际传媒淚n the first three weeks of June there has been 3,443 medical emergency calls, and of those calls 33 per cent of them were life-threatening, sa国际传媒楶urple or Redsa国际传媒� in our clinical model of response.sa国际传媒�

Bilal Cheema, a friend of the Khans, questions how often scenarios like the one the Khans experienced occur in Surrey.

sa国际传媒淭hey called for an ambulance and they said itsa国际传媒檚 on its way. When someone calls for an ambulance and they say itsa国际传媒檚 on its way, it gives them so much comfort right, like OK, helpsa国际传媒檚 on its way,sa国际传媒� he remarked. But 30 minutes went by, he said. Thirty five, and no ambulance. sa国际传媒淓ight year old child.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 not good enough, even under COVID circumstances,sa国际传媒� Cheema said. sa国际传媒淥ne of the things that separates us from a lot of places in the world is governance, right, and knowing that you can get help when you need it.sa国际传媒�

Meantime, Newton resident Marie Van Camp, 64, was walking down to the store at 64th Avenue and Scott Road, at about 2:30 p.m. on June 9 when suddenly she was in medical distress.

sa国际传媒淚 became very short of breath, I couldnsa国际传媒檛 breathe, I was blacking out. My husband was with me, he got me over onto the grass and I just collapsed onto the grass,sa国际传媒� she told the Now-Leader.

When she came to, her husband was calling 911. A Surrey firetruck showed up 35 minutes later with a crew of three who checked her blood pressure, and got her on oxygen. She already knew she had a suspected blood clot sa国际传媒� shesa国际传媒檇 been into a doctor about it.

sa国际传媒淭hat morning I woke up with excruciating pain in the back of my leg,sa国际传媒� she recalled. sa国际传媒淭he ambulance never did come.sa国际传媒� Van Camp said one of the firefighters told her sa国际传媒淚 donsa国际传媒檛 think theysa国际传媒檙e comingsa国际传媒� and suggested her husband Ray drive her to emergency. sa国际传媒淵ou better drive her, and heresa国际传媒檚 what to do if she stops breathing en route sa国际传媒� you call 911.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淲e said well we did that already, and we didnsa国际传媒檛 get an ambulance the first time so why would we get an ambulance the second time?sa国际传媒�

Her son drove her to SMH emergency, where she spent 11 hours. Van Camp said she told the medical practitioners that she thinks she had a blood clot and that shesa国际传媒檇 had the AstraZeneca vaccine.

She said they found a clot and a doctor told her she was sa国际传媒渧ery lucky.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 on blood thinners and will be for three months.sa国际传媒�

Van Camp described a hospital in chaos.

sa国际传媒淭he nurses were saying to each other sa国际传媒榃hat the hell is going on? This is nuts.sa国际传媒� The doctor said sa国际传媒榃e havensa国际传媒檛 been this crazy busy since COVID started.sa国际传媒� The guy beside me, hesa国际传媒檇 been waiting to be seen for eight hours,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淧eople were getting up and walking out, they were saying this is f-ing stupid, Isa国际传媒檓 not waiting. And I heard a doctor saying well it couldnsa国际传媒檛 be that bad, it cansa国际传媒檛 be that serious if theysa国际传媒檙e not willing to wait. I saw four or five people get up and walk out.sa国际传媒�

She was instructed to call the thrombosis clinic at the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre and tried four times to get through, with sa国际传媒渘o satisfaction.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淣obody ever called me back.sa国际传媒� She eventually drove there. sa国际传媒淚 thought Isa国际传媒檓 not coming out until Isa国际传媒檝e spoken to somebody. So, a huge runaround inside as well. Finally I did get an appointment.sa国际传媒�

Van Camp said she wants to know why an ambulance did not show up. Was her ordeal scary?

sa国际传媒淵ou bet.sa国际传媒�

She said she only called 911 once before, for a medical emergency when she lived in Delta, and sa国际传媒渢hey (an ambulance) were there within minutes.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淎pparently theresa国际传媒檚 a shortage of drivers or attendants.sa国际传媒�

The BCEHS has yet to provide an explanation for Van Campsa国际传媒檚 case.

Miller confirmed Friday that BCEHS received a 911 call at 2:38 p.m. on June 9 for a patient experiencing shortness of breath in the 6400-block of 120th Street in Surrey.

sa国际传媒淏ased on the information from the caller the call was triaged in our dispatch centre as a Yellow call (requiring a non-lights-and sirens ambulance response),sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淎n ambulance was dispatched and en route was diverted to respond to a more urgent, time-critical call. At 2:57 the fire department was notified of the call. A second ambulance was dispatched and also diverted to a higher acuity call.

sa国际传媒淎t 3:59 we received a call from the fire department to cancel the call and indicating the patient was being transported by family.sa国际传媒�

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
Like us on Follow us on and follow Tom on