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The victims of the Lucky Plaza car accident were not taken to the nearby Mount Elizabeth Hospital because it is not equipped to “provide timely management for severe trauma patients”
From the unfortunate accident that happened at Lucky Plaza which claimed 2 lives, showed that Singapore may not be so well prepared when a disaster happens.
In an emergency, every minute counts, and for a Hospital to be not equipped to manage trauma patients would mean you would always need to rely on other further away hospitals which means slower response time.
Orchard Rd is one of the most busy locations in Singapore, and with crowds come risks — risks of accidents and terror attack. If an accident involving 6 people shows us that a hospital 200m away is not equipped to respond to trauma, then when a disaster with more casualties happens, how do we expect the response to be prompt and timely?
With the crowds in Orchard Rd, and the Colombo bombings fresh in my mind, I wonder how many more people would die if they need to be sent to a further hospital in our jammed up Orchard Rd during peak hour.
With possible congestions, shouldn’t MOH consider making all hospitals, especially ones near Orchard Rd to be ready for trauma patients?
