Ambulances operated by the health ministry have been modified from vans used to transport passengers and goods, and are not purpose-built vehicles, the Dewan Negara heard today.
Deputy health minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni said none of the current 1,975 ambulances in hospitals and other institutions were completely built-up units, though there were plans to purchase such vehicles.
“However, all these units converted from normal goods and passenger transport vans went through evaluation by Puspakom and the public works department’s mechanical division.
“These ambulances meet all specifications and requirements,” he said in reply to a question from Dr RA Lingeshwaran.
Lingeshwaran had asked if it was true that all ministry ambulances were modified from normal vans, if they met international standards, and whether crash tests were carried out on these units before being commissioned for use.
Lukanisman did not explain why the government opted to convert normal vans into ambulances, instead of purchasing CBUs.
However, Lingeshwaran told FMT he was made to understand the modified units cost about 40% to 50% cheaper.
“Our neighbours like Singapore and Thailand purchase purpose-built ambulances that go through crash tests.
“As we have seen, our ambulances that meet with accidents are often badly damaged,” said the former director at Sungai Bakap Hospital in Penang.
Lukanisman said the current ambulance shortage was due to the single supplying contractor failing to deliver ambulances on time, leading to the ministry terminating its services.
“To overcome this, the ministry has obtained special approval from the finance ministry to purchase 91 modified ambulances to be delivered to areas that need them, to ensure emergency services are not affected.
“About 89% of the ministry’s ambulances are more than six years old. Funds are given to replace damaged ambulances that are beyond repair.
“From July, the ministry has started delivering another 925 ambulances in stages to various areas,” he said.
