An investigation has been launched after an ambulance was called to assist a patient in difficulty in La Marina and the newly centralised control centre in Valencia sent an emergency unit from Elche, 30 kilometres away, when another unit was standing idle in Rojales, just 7 kilometres away, as the crow flies.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday 9 April when the call centre received notice of a male resident in La Marina, when a woman called for help because her husband is unconscious and breathing badly.
The CICU call centre, which is based in Valencia, mobilised the SAMU paramedic ambulance from Elche, which took 25 minutes to arrive. Sadly, the patient died before the ambulance arrived.
It is anticipated that had the call centre sent the paramedic unit from Rojales, it would had arrived within 5 minutes, and therefore the outcome could have been different.
Medical staff reported that this is entirely the reason why they opposed the centralisation of the emergency centre to Valencia.
The workers themselves insist that this incident has already occurred in several attendances. It is not the first time that the centralised service in Valencia has sent a SAMU from the Department of Health, having another one from another department closer.
