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ARCHIVED - Residents in Orihuela Costa demand 24 hour ambulance service
There are fears lives are being put at risk in Orihuela Costa, in the Vega Baja comarca of Alicante province on the Costa Blanca.
Residents in Orihuela are calling for an extension to the Advanced Life Support Unit (SAMU) service, which currently operates for 12 hours a day, amid fears people's lives are being put at risk.
The Orihuela Costa Neighborhood Association (AVOCA) has registered a formal proposal with the Valencian government for a 24-hour SAMU service, a move they have been demanding for several years.
And they are warning the need for a more comprehensive urgent response service will become even more apparent when the new Orihuela Costa Emergency Centre becomes operational in the summer.
The current Orihuela Costa SAMU service is only in operation for 12 hours a day, from 9.30am to 9.30pm, "which means there is one less ambulance on call in the municipality during the night".
"An extension to 24 hours would guarantee a faster response to attend time-dependent pathologies," said Avoca.
Residents have cited the case of a man who suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest a few days ago and had to wait 45 minutes for an ambulance from Torrevieja.
"This problem is aggravated during summer when the population multiplies. It's an outrageous situation that makes the people of Orihuela Costa feel like second-class neighbours," said one resident, Cristina Pindado.
The SAMU ambulance based Orihuela Costa also serves the municipality of Pilar de la Horadada, which means meeting the needs of more than 45,000 registered people, of which around 12,300 are British expats.
This population normally triples during the summer holiday season.
The closest SAMU is in Torrevieja - a municipality with more than 100,000 inhabitants (4,533 are Britons) - which also covers Guardamar, Los Montesinos and San Miguel de las Salinas where a further 3,784 British expats live.
"The Orihuela Costa SAMU is the only health emergency unit in our region that does not provide service 24 hours a day, and we estimate that the cost of the proposed service expansion would be around €300,000," said Avoca, stressing the investment is justified to safeguard people's lives.
The availability of close local support can minimise response time and significantly increase the chances of survival for immediate life-threatening cases.
The WHO (World Health Organisation) recommends one vehicle for every 25,000 people as a ratio of basic ambulances per inhabitant.
IMAGE: Generalitat Valencia/SAMU