On November 7, Saigon General Hospital's 115 Emergency Center started piloting their motorcycle ambulance program as part of an effort to improve emergency response speed and adapt to Saigon's systems of narrow hẻms and congested streets, VnExpress reports.

Each motorcycle ambulance comes equipped with first-aid kits, sedatives, intravenous (IV) fluids, medicine, tracheal tubes, a heart rate monitor and defibrillators. The motorcycle ambulance service also consists of a 24-member team including five doctors, 13 nurses and four drivers that will be available at all times.

"In the past, when there is a medical emergency, conventional ambulances can't get to houses that are in narrow alleys. Our doctors and nurses often have to use a scooter to carry all the medical equipment to these houses within the 'golden hour'," Nguyen Khac Vui, vice director of Saigon General Hospital, told the news source. The 'golden hour' refers to the period of time during which medical intervention should be performed to prevent death or other complications.

The pilot phase will run for two weeks. Afterwards, the hospital will evaluate the project's performance and officially launch the two-wheel ambulance model.

According to Tang Chi Thuong, vice director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, if this model proves to be feasible and effective during the pilot phase, it will be considered for other emergency centers in the city.

This is not the first time Vietnam's public services have attempted to tackle the country's sprawling alley networks. Last year, Hanoi launched a team of modified motorbikes that could fight fires in narrow ngõ.

[Photo via VnExpress]

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