Strangest Dubai Ambulance calls; really poignant

Feeling low? Is your head or tooth in pain? Do you need a paracetamol? Would you be dramatic enough to call an ambulance in this case? 
 
Believe it or not, there are many people out there who do call paramedics for these kinds of ‘emergencies’.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, a paramedic who’s responded to emergencies, Saeeda Buti Saeed, Head of Regulations and Licensing at the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services (DCAS), said that they get dispatched to the caller’s location, and once they arrive at the scene , they discover that it’s not a real emergency at all.
 
She adds that the lack of awareness and cultural background of the callers come to light.

“We advise them to avoid similar situations in future. Sometimes they’re just not aware.”

Saeeda recalls: “The elderly still call us every now and then, just to chat.

“One of them tells us that he doesn’t have a problem, and he doesn’t want us to come over to his place, he just wants someone to speak to.”

She added that 400 calls are received every day by the DCAS, and officials say an increase of 15.77 per cent is expected for 2014, compared to 125,446 calls last year. 
 
As some of those calls come from people who get remarkably anxious about very minor ailments,  the paramedics do respond.
 
“Every call we receive is important and treated as an emergency,” says Dr. Omar Al Sakaf, Director of Medical and Technical Affairs at DCAS. 
 
Although not all the calls that they respond to involve getting the patient to the hospital, Dr. Omar explained that the daily calls and visits then get compiled and categorised in their database once the paramedics return to their station. 
 
Dr. Omar stresses, “We urge people to think carefully before calling us, our number is there for us to help the people and save lives.”
 
Here’s a list of a few unusual Dubai Ambulance calls received:

- Headaches

- Menstrual pain

- Requests for Panadol

- Requests for transporting a pet

- Backpain

- Toothaches

- Calls from parents who request the team to come in and speak to their child who’s refused to speak after a quarrel

- Calls from the elderly who call on the ambulance line simply to chat

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