Seconds matter in an emergency, both for the patient and for ambulance drivers. No longer will drivers be forced to manually look for addresses on maps, a situation that in the past has led to delays in accessing patients.Equipped with navigation tools that include information on even the most remote streets in Konya, ambulances can now find their destinations without getting lost. The tools offer drivers both audio and visual directions in addition to relaying the ambulance's speed, location and route to the Health Ministry's Provincial Ambulance Control Center.
Konya 112 Emergency Services Dr. Ali İhsan Yöntem says ambulance drivers, who address 10 emergency situations per day on average, have welcomed the navigation tools with great relief. Pointing to the importance of minutes and even seconds in saving lives, Dr. Yöntem said people can access health services faster through developing technology.
Yöntem said answering 90 percent of calls in the first 10 minutes has become a standard in the world, noting that navigation tools will make it easier to reach patients more quickly. “Our ambulances are routed by satellite, providing drivers with the shortest path to their destination. If an ambulance makes a wrong turn, the system reroutes it so it does not get lost,” Yöntem said, adding, “Other systems in ambulances relay information on patients to the hospital.”
