Yokohama City Fire Department reveals medical accident leading to an 80-year-old woman’s death on Monday. The Hodogaya Fire Department ambulance took the wrong route while transferring the seriously ill patient from a welfare facility in Totsuka Ward to the hospital. The woman went into cardiac arrest inside the ambulance, and despite emergency treatment, the delay caused by the erroneous road taken by the driver resulted in the woman’s death upon arrival.
The driver has only been assigned to the fire department since April of this year and is still unfamiliar with the roads, according to officials. It’s reported that a 13-minute delay was encountered at the road junction the driver mistakenly took. The route from the welfare facility usually takes only three minutes. The patient’s death occurred upon arrival at the hospital but remains unclear whether the unexpected delay is the cause.
This medical error has brought the Yokohama City Fire Department Chief, Tsukasa Moriya, to publicly apologize for failing to provide timely treatment for the patient. In his statement, he expressed the sincerest apologies of the department to the grieving family. Moriya assured that every possible measure would be taken to prevent any recurrence.
Every year, ambulance services around the world are called to render first responder services to people in emergencies. The profession is expected to deliver patients safely to medical facilities within the shortest time possible. Such medical emergencies include road accident victims, childbirth complications, and sudden illnesses like the recently reported case in Yokohama and other parts of Japan.
Medical emergencies usually entail prompt transportation of the patient, and those responsible for transportation are trained to adhere to the best of their abilities. It’s standard practice that drivers are acquainted with the possible routes to hospitals and healthcare providers within their jurisdiction. However, such accidents are not new to the healthcare service providers and do not apply to any nation’s professionals only.
Therefore, Japan’s case should serve as an opportunity for societies and ambulance services worldwide to evaluate competency levels of their first responder fleets. The observer status directed at such institutions to ensure that route training is continually provided to drivers and other medical personnel. Training features such as geographic factors, patient care, and the utilization of medical equipment may be implemented for continuous enhancement of the service provided.
In summary, the tragic event that occurred in Yokohama City involving a transportation error of a medical emergency case serves as an opportunity for society and relevant concerned authorities to scrutinize the processes that guarantee rapid response and safe transport of patients. Consequently, there should be updated engagement, training, and continuous assessment of the drivers, medical personnel, and all hands involved in first-line responses
