Barbar 24-hour ambulance bid rejected

TDT | Manama

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Nine ambulances already cover Barbar and surrounding areas

A bid to station an ambulance at Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah Health Centre in Barbar 24 hours a day has been rejected after the Interior Ministry said the centre made 801 ambulance calls last year, just 4.5 pc of the Northern Governorate total, and tying up one vehicle there could slow help elsewhere.

The ministry said nine National Ambulance vehicles already cover Barbar, nearby villages and the Northern Governorate.

Keeping one of them at the health centre could mean longer waits for emergency calls elsewhere, it said.

The call came from Northern Municipal Council chairman Dr Shubber Al Wadaei.

The ministry said the 801 calls recorded by the centre in 2025 did not justify keeping an ambulance there solely for its use.

Instead, the department concerned suggested that primary healthcare centres look at providing a separate vehicle to carry patients whose cases are classed as ‘non-emergencies’.

That would keep National Ambulance crews free for urgent calls while giving health centres another way to move patients who do not need emergency care, the ministry said.

The Northern Municipal Council gave unanimous support to Dr Al Wadaei’s plan at its April meeting.

He argued that having an ambulance close by could shave crucial minutes off the time taken to deal with strokes, fainting, accidents and other serious cases.

Dr Al Wadaei said the first few minutes in such cases could be decisive in saving a patient’s life or preventing serious complications.

He said the centre sees large numbers of people from Barbar and surrounding areas and can face sudden medical cases at any time.

Keeping an ambulance there, he said, would also give patients and health workers greater peace of mind and allow urgent cases to be taken to hospital without waiting for a vehicle to come from another area.