Man Died After Being Turned Down By Taxis, No Response From Ambulance
CHEENEE REYES – A netizen named Cheenee Reyes shared the story of how a man who was a regular customer at their canteen died due to failed emergency responses.
Because of the COVID-19 crisis in the Philippines, health services are working around the clock. Sadly, this could mean that others who need medical assistance won’t get prioritized.
Reyes vented her frustrations on her Facebook account as she told a story of how a customer died because of unreliable emergency hotlines. The netizen wrote:
Ang dami nagpPM about sa story ko. Pinost ko lang yun for awareness and due to frustrations sa emergency response unit ng bansa natin. Sana maayos nila lalo na sa panahon ng pandemic. Nakakafrustrate isipin na unreliable ang emergency hotlines natin. Walang sumasagot sa 911!!! At sa 8888 sasabihan ka lang nila tumawag sa 911. Labo di ba?
According to a report from Panay News, the man was a regular customer at their canteen. Sadly, he was laid-off work due to the pandemic. He pleaded if he could get a meal for free because he had no money. But suddenly, while he was eating, he fell.
Two of Reyes’ cousins were assisting the customer so he wouldn’t fall to the ground. Desperate, Reyes tried to contact the Philippines’ emergency hotlines several times but to no avail. She called 911 and 8888 and other emergency hotlines. According to her, there were no ambulances or mobile emergency vehicles.
Afterward, they pleaded to taxi drivers if they could bring the customer to the hospital. However, all the drivers they talked to declined their request. She recalled that the drivers wouldn’t let the man in because they would be liable if the man died inside their taxi.
Furthermore, the taxis were worried that they’d be unable to operate if they get held up by the hospital. But, after they were declined, they decided to bring the customer to the hospital themselves. Sadly. he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The last thing they could do is coordinate with doctors and police to find leads for them to call the customer’s family. Finally, around 6PM, the man’s wife got to him at the hospital.
As a parting note, Cheenee reminded everybody: “Kapag may chance, tumulong po tayo. Hindi natin alam kung kailan natin kakailanganin ang tulong ng iba.“.
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