Motorbike ambulances stand by to save lives in Turkish cities

A motorcycle ambulance crew is seen preparing for duty in Ankara, Türkiye, on July 24, 2023. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, July 28 (Xinhua) — Like most big cities in the world, Turkish metropolises are plagued by traffic jams. Motorbike ambulances have proved essential to provide emergency healthcare to patients in a matter of minutes.

In Kizilay, a busy commercial neighborhood in the Turkish capital of Ankara, two teams of motorbike ambulances are always stand by to reach a patient in need, even when the traffic is congested, according to Yusuf Yasin Danisan, a motorbike responder.

Danisan said when a medical emergency took place in an area difficult for a conventional ambulance to get through, he would ride the motorbike with a colleague and respond to the situation while the ambulance is on the way, which increases the likelihood of survival in critical conditions.

“We come here (Kizilay) in the morning after picking up our motorbike ambulance at our center,” Danisan told Xinhua in a recent interview, adding the team responds to all cases, from a road accident to an ailment.

A motorcycle ambulance is driving on the street of Ankara, Türkiye, on July 24, 2023. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

The motorbike usually carries an emergency medical technician and a paramedic, as well as life-saving equipment like a defibrillator, offering initial treatment free of charge, according to Danisan.

If the case is deemed serious by the on-spot healthcare providers, the patient is taken to the nearest hospital in a four-wheeled ambulance.

“We have between 10 to 15 cases a day, and most of them do not need an ambulance, thus we prevent unnecessary ambulance dispatches,” Danisan added.

Motorbike responders give life-saving information to doctors and determine whether patients should be picked up by an ambulance later. This helps non-critical patients save time and hospital travel costs.

A motorcycle ambulance crew is seen treating a sick person in Ankara, Türkiye, on July 24, 2023. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

Ankara is a city of over 5 million people and deadly car accidents occur frequently mostly because of speeding or drunk driving.

Motorbike responders are on duty in some 60 Turkish cities since their introduction in 2013 and additional teams are prepared by Türkiye’s health ministry and the main emergency hotline system 112, according to the Ankara Department for Health Services, a public institution.

Driving in heavy traffic needs nerves of steel and the paramedic on motorbike has received special training for traffic safety, according to motorbike responders.

A motorcycle ambulance crew is seen checking medical equipment on the street in Ankara, Türkiye, on July 24, 2023. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

As most of Türkiye will be under the spell of a heatwave this week, according to meteorological reports, motorbike responders are expected to have a busier schedule.

“During the summer heat, the profile of our patients changes because of the heat. We particularly receive calls from patients suffering from heatstroke,” Danisan added.

The global rise in temperatures has led to more extreme weather this summer in Mideast and Europe, including life-threatening heatwaves and flood alerts.

Temperatures are forecasted to surpass 40 degrees Celsius in the western and southern provinces of Türkiye later this week.  ■