The sharp increase of ambulance calls is turning into an emergency situation with services in Japan nearing capacity. According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, dispatches have increased 20% in the last 10 years, reaching a record high of 5.98 million in 2014. This is more than 16,000 dispatches per day on a nationwide basis. While the increase is partially attributable to the high number of heatstroke victims seen in recent heat waves, the principal cause is the growing number of ambulance calls for the elderly. |
