Only 34pc of emergency ambulance calls reach scene in under 15 minutes, says health minister

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad disclosed that only 34.1 percent of emergency ambulance responses in Malaysia achieved the target of arriving within 15 minutes for critical cases in the previous year, falling short of the government's 50 percent goal. In response to a question during Parliament's Question Time, Dzulkefly admitted that response times for life-threatening emergencies were below the set targets.

The ministry's director-general is spearheading a thorough examination of the issue, as the target has yet to be met, posing a significant challenge.

The minister assured urgent measures to enhance response efficiency, such as improving Malaysia's NG-MERS 999 emergency coordination network. The ministry also plans to enlarge the national ambulance fleet and streamline dispatch workflows in collaboration with emergency medicine specialists. Jalaluddin Alias, the MP for Jelebu, recounted a distressing incident from his constituency where a road crash victim waited for an ambulance for over an hour, despite a medical facility being less than 500 meters away.

He described the situation as highly concerning, pointing out that villagers had also been advised that medical officers could not attend nearby emergencies without an ambulance.