When you have a deadly virus but no where to go...
Coronavirus is no joke, it is deadly serious. When all the hospitals around you is unable to admit yet another Covid patient, the feeling of helplessness is surreal.
Mr Benedict, not his real name, was diagnosed to be Covid-19 positive on 31st March 2021. By 2nd April, he was having difficulty breathing and it got worse. He called for the community ground ambulance; it never came. He approached numerous hospitals in the Philippine capital desperately seeking medical help. He was turned away every time. All he received was a bag of medication and sent home with an oxygen tank.
When night falls, Mr Benedict collapsed in his home.
Due to the massive influx of Covid-19 infected patients, hospitals in Metro Manila are at full capacity. One may wonder, surely the ER will not leave a dying patient unattended? Unfortunately, the queue at the ER is so long that one may not get the urgent medical attention in time. We’ve read encounters of Covid-19 patients dying before they could even get admitted.
In the wee hours of 3rd April, our client reached out to Across Asia Assist — requesting for an air ambulance to evacuate Mr Benedict from Manila to Cebu. The patient’s vital signs were deteriorating rapidly and there was no time to waste. Our client even termed his situation as ‘getting out of control’.
Immediately, we shook-down the list of hospitals in Cebu in search of one that can give us confirmation that it can accept our Covid-19 patient. We wouldn’t want a situation where after an air ambulance transfer, patient is turned away at the receiving hospital due to full capacity. A mission plan was prepared and in less than 24 hours, Mr Benedict was picked up by our ground ambulance from his home to the airport.
There were challenges along the way. Mr Benedict had to leave behind his wife and young child as the air ambulance could only allow one companion. Moreover, this is a highly infectious patient on board. Just when we’re about to touch down in Cebu, the patient’s employer requested to go to a different hospital. Again, we went on a merry chase to secure a bed at the preferred hospital without further delay. Talk about being customer centric in a time like this…
At Cebu Airport, our ground ambulance was waiting on the tarmac for the arrival of Mr Benedict’s flight. He was successfully transferred to the designated hospital and finally able to receive treatment while hanging on to dear life. We continued to monitor his condition and treatment, ensuring his hospital expenses are taken care of until his final test that certified him free of Covid-19 and ready to be discharged.
It was a relief to all of us, more so for Mr Benedict’s family and colleagues. He was finally reunited with his family back in Manila on 17th April.