An injured couple waited more than 34 minutes for an ambulance July 16 Tuesday night due to confusion over which of the city's emergency dispatch services was responsible for sending it out. By the time the ambulance arrived at the hospital, the wife, 57, had died from her injuries.
The incident reveals how human error can paralyze Shanghai's emergency dispatch system, which remains fractured in remote areas of the city despite plans to integrate the system city-wide.
A witness, surnamed Xi, called for an ambulance at 8:10 pm and reached the Pudong New Area Medical Emergency Center, said an officer surnamed Qiao in the center's communication and scheduling department. The accident occurred on Xinsiping Road between Nanlu Road to the north and the S2 Luhu Highway to the south, in a remote part of southern Shanghai, according to the report. |