Stretcher carrier shortage
- Source: Global Times
- [08:23 April 11 2011]
- Comments
Two 120 stretcher carriers try to lift a woman who was hit by a car near Xiaozhuang, in Chaoyang district, on March 3, 2010. Photo: Wang Zi/GT
By Yan Shuang
Beijing's 120 Emergency Medical Center is suffering a shortage of stretcher carriers to accompany ambulances, as people are reluctant to take on the job, according to the center Sunday.
Low pay, exhaustion and a fear of shouldering responsibility are hindering people from applying for or accepting the position, according to Li Jianren, the media department director of the center.
There are currently 45 carriers distributed among 30 emergency medical stations overseen by the center in Beijing. A stretcher carrier earns about 1,800 to 2,000 yuan ($275 to 306) per month, and their pay comes from a financial allocation of the municipal government, according to Li Jianren.
"Since only the 30 stations under the center's direct administration have access to the allocation, the other 100 stations, which are overseen by different district or county government authorities, don't have any carriers," he told the Global Times.
An average of 1.5 carriers are dispatched with each 120 ambulance. They work 12-hour shifts and typically go on seven or eight calls each day.
Most of the bearers are migrant workers who receive one month's training in basic first aid and stretcher-bearing knowledge, Li Jianren said.
"Some get scared off or think it's unlucky when told they may be assigned to deliver dead bodies or people with contagious diseases," Liu Hongmei, the center's human resources section chief, told the Beijing Evening News on Friday. "Even if they're willing to do the job, many ask for leave during the holidays."
Others are unwilling to do the job because they fear that with no professional medical experience, they may harm patients while delivering them to the ambulance, Li Jianren said.
"I have heard complaints from residents that no stretcher carriers come with ambulances after they have called 120, and that they have to turn to their neighbors for help," said Beijing lawyer Liu Zihua, who is also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's Beijing Committee.
Liu Zihua proposed that government authorities should give more financial support to pay for carrier teams who are willing to take on the job and stick with it, according to a Beijing Daily report on January 18.
