Ambulances denied of fuel amid urgency?

CEBU, Philippines - The operations of the Cebu City’s emergency response units are now being hampered after the General Services Office allegedly denied granting fuel allocation to some city-owned ambulances since two weeks ago.

Councilor David Tumulak, who heads the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, said yesterday confronting Engr. Dionisio Gualiza, the new chief of GSO.

Of the seven ambulances, Tumulak said two vehicles were not allotted fuel despite the urgency.  Only two ambulances are now being utilized in emergency response while three of which were already bogged down.

“Our paramedics team are delivering twenty-four/seven emergency medical service including transporting in-patients of CCMC to other hospital facility for further laboratory exam..Crucial atong gihisgutan which is kinabuhi,” he said. 

Tumulak said their operations have been disrupted due to the circumstance. In effect, the response team can no longer respond within five minutes unlike before.

The City Command Center is receiving at least 500 emergency calls a month.                  

“Daghan na kaayo mi nabalibaran nga tawag tungod way ambulance. Sobra gyud nga naapektuhan ang atong operasyon,”  He said, adding that he even used his own money to pay for the fuel of ambulance 911.

With this, Tumulak said they are somewhat depriving the constituents with “public service”.

Mayor Michael Rama according to Tumulak said the public service should “never” be hampered.

Tumulak recalled that on May 22 he requested for additional fuel which is 50 liters each ambulance but was not fully granted.

He cited that Basak Pardo Emergency Response over the weekend responded to a vehicular accident without ambulance.

“Nagdagan ra intawon ang mga paramedics pag respond nila kay way ambulance. Maayo gani kay dili layo and dili major accident,” Tumulak added.  

Gualiza, for his part, said he never refused to give fuel to Tumulak.

“Wala gyod ko mibalibad kay naay krudo ang syudad. Akong i-check kay daghan items gikan sa barangay,” Gualiza said.

“Ikaw gayod ang manubag aning tanan,” Tumulak confronted Gualiza yesterday.  (FREEMAN)