Presented by Robert Clark MP		www.robertclark.net

Multilingual guide to calling an ambulance

The Minister for Health, Rob Knowles has launched a booklet How to Call an Ambulance, which is designed to break down language barriers in life-threatening emergencies.

The booklet runs through a series of simple instructions in several languages. Calling an ambulance, questions asked when an ambulance is called, signposting the house for easy access and how to join the ambulance subscription scheme are clearly explained.

The guide is available in Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Macedonian (Slavonic), Malaysian, Serbian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese and English.

The key messages for any medical emergency requiring ambulance assistance are:

• Dial 000.
• Ask for ambulance.
• Provide accurate location details.

The guide reminds those not fluent in English that it is vital that the 000 call be made at a fixed telephone (not a mobile) at the patient’s location.

In that way the ambulance communications centres automatically gets the address of the caller from Telstra.

(News Release, Office of the Minister for Health and Aged Care, July 28, 1999)