Cuepacs today urged the government to review the maintenance record of all ambulances under the Health Ministry.

Its president Azih Muda said this was necessary so that ambulances do not get into any serious accidents like the one early this month along the North-South Expressway at Slim River, Perak, in which the driver and a patient were killed.

“What is sad is that Cuepacs and the drivers had checked the ambulances and found that they had not been properly maintained and the tyres were not original and were cracked.

“We demand that the ambulance maintenance records be reviewed so that there are no more fatal accidents involving patients and drivers.

“We found maintenance weaknesses in these cases...the maintenance records are not well-kept,” he said in a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

In the incident on Aug 4, ambulance driver Mohd Hafidz Mohd Bahari, 37, and a female patient Azizah Dolah, 66, died after the ambulance they were travelling in from the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital Ipoh to the Slim River Hospital went out of control.

The ambulance’s rear right tyre was believed to have burst before the ambulance slammed into the highway’s side railing and overturned.

Azih said the company responsible for maintaining the Health Ministry’s ambulances must be held responsible for the accident.

“We urge that a penalty be imposed on the company appointed to maintain the ambulance...the safety aspect is its responsibility. I am not mentioning the company’s name but perhaps they (the government) know which company maintained the vehicle,” he said. 

Azih also requested for the compensation to Mohd Hafidz’s family be expedited.

“We understand that a claim has been made but is still being processed. By right, it should have been settled within three to seven days, but now it is more than 10 days. This should not happen again,” he said.

- Bernama