Hong Kong’s ambulance services are busier than ever, but abuse of the facility can prove costly to people in genuine need

Veteran paramedic Li Wai-keung recalls the time his crew was called out to a bus terminus at Deep Water Bay. “There were four teenagers and one of them said he had an upset stomach, so after assessing his condition, we put him in the ambulance to take him to hospital,” says the former principal ambulance man.

“But before I could even get into the vehicle, his three friends climbed in.”

According to protocol, only one family member or friend is allowed to accompany a patient in an ambulance.

“When I told them only one of them could be in the vehicle with their friend, they got annoyed, but two of them got out. Then, just minutes after we drove off, we heard a second emergency call over the radio from the same location in Deep Water Bay,” Li says.

“The teenagers must have been calling the two emergency ambulances for free rides into town to save time queuing for a bus.”

After arriving at the hospital with Li and his ambulance crew, the teenager declared he was fine without being seen by a doctor, and left unassisted.

This is not the only bizarre case rescue crews in Hong Kong have encountered. According to staff members, some Hongkongers think that incidents ranging from things as minor as breaking a fingernail to missing a bowel movement merit the attention of the city’s emergency services.