Many lives are often lost whenever an accident happens along Kenyan roads. The latest accident was that which involved the Pwani University bus where at least 15 students lost their lives.
After an accident, many lives are lost because of three reasons:
- First responders not helping to save lives
- Delays in emergency services such as ambulance
- Distance to health facilities from the scene of an accident.
There have been suggestions from different stakeholders to have ambulance services stationed at different places along major highways, especially in places where accidents often occur.
But asking the government of Kenya to have ambulances in strategic positions is expecting too much from them. This is Kenya.
Now, here are important ambulance emergency numbers that every Kenyan must have:
Most of these ambulance service providers are private, meaning the services are not free of charge. In case of an accident, the majority of them will turn out to save lives.
In case of an emergency at home, sickness, or an accident, one will have to make the necessary payments or commit before an ambulance can turn up. There have been reports that some ambulance service providers demand that the person requesting for an ambulance must have made a reservation with the intended hospital.
What should be immediate action if you are the first one at an accident scene?
Most first responders in Kenya are thieves. They run to an accident scene, and instead of helping to save lives, they will start stealing anything that they lay their hands on. But if you happen to be among them, please do the following:
Call 999. That is the number of the Kenyan Police. Initially, it never used to go through but now things have changed and it will be picked. It is the easiest way to get an ambulance dispatched.
Help save the injured by stopping them from bleeding out, while taking care of yourself. Do not just interact with blood anyhow but help out.
Call one of the ambulance numbers and give the exact location for easy navigation and also to enable the nearest ambulance to be dispatched.
