{
  "id": 13891000,
  "title": "Only 34pc of emergency ambulance calls reach scene in under 15 minutes, says health minister",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/only-34pc-of-emergency-ambulance-calls-reach-scene-in-under-15",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-12T06:07:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/10/12/only-34pc-of-emergency-ambulance-calls-reach-scene-in-under-15-minutes-says-health-minister/238798"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nThe 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.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — Only 34.1 per cent of emergency ambulance responses in Malaysia met the target time of unde...",
  "key_points": [
    "Only 34.1% of emergency ambulance responses reached within 15 minutes in Malaysia.",
    "Health Minister Dzulkefly admitted response times fell short of 50% goal.",
    "Measures planned include improving NG-MERS 999 network and expanding ambulance fleet."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Persistent delays in emergency ambulance response times signal a critical failure in meeting national life-saving targets and necessitate a complete overhaul of Malaysia's coordination networks and dispatch workflows.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Only 34pc of emergency ambulance calls reach scene in under 15 minutes, says health minister",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/only-34pc-of-emergency-ambulance-calls-reach-scene-in-under-15-13892953",
        "published": "2026-10-12T06:07:37.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}