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<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Ambulance service boosted from today
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Two private operators, with 5 vehicles each, join SCDF in providing emergency services </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Alessa Pang
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Ambulance staff from Lentor and Unistrong will help beef up SCDF emergency services. -- ST PHOTO: LIM WUI LIANG
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SINGAPORE'S health services are gaining a new ally, as private operators join the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in providing the Emergency Ambulance Service from today.
The additions come as the demand for emergency services rise due to the increasing ageing population.
The two private companies - Lentor Ambulance and Unistrong Technology - will contribute five ambulances each and they will be stationed at 10 different fire stations islandwide.
However, they will provide services only from Mondays to Saturdays, between 8am and 8pm.
The models of these ambulances differ from those of the SCDF, but SCDF Commissioner Peter Lim said the equipment in the private ambulances meets SCDF standards and that internal space is not an issue.
And for the first month of operation, an SCDF paramedic will be attached to each private ambulance to supervise and ensure that service standards are met.
Likewise, the crew from these private ambulances will be subjected to the same stringent checks that are in place for SCDF crew.
These measures include random quarterly checks and the crew having to take a compulsory Paramedic Specialist Certification Test once every six months.
Colonel Anwar Abdullah, the director of operations at SCDF, said: 'The private ambulances will be operating on the same principles and there will be no differentiation in the way we regard them.'
Both private operators said they began recruiting staff for their emergency medical services about two months ago.
Lentor Ambulance has recruited 10 teams, each consisting of a paramedic, a medic and a driver. Unistrong Technology has recruited nine teams.
Like all paramedics, they are trained by the SCDF or the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), where students undergo a 33-week attachment with the SCDF during their course.
Mr Edward Teo, the general manager of Unistrong Technology, said: 'The profiles of these paramedics vary greatly. Some are fresh graduates from ITE while I have drivers who used to work with the SCDF and then decided to join us.'
Ms Nurul Hatta, 21, decided to join Lentor Ambulance as a paramedic after graduating from ITE last month.
She said: 'I prefer working with Lentor as it means that I have permanent Sundays off and I don't have to work nights. There are also fewer regimental issues to deal with when joining a private ambulance operator.'
Ms Siti Harjar, also with Lentor Ambulance, agreed. 'It's much more flexible working with a private ambulance operator,' said the 25-year-old fresh graduate from ITE College East, Simei.
'I'm a little worried about starting work. However, I think the attachment with the SCDF during my course has trained me well and will prepare me for any situation.' [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Two private operators, with 5 vehicles each, join SCDF in providing emergency services </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Alessa Pang
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Ambulance staff from Lentor and Unistrong will help beef up SCDF emergency services. -- ST PHOTO: LIM WUI LIANG
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->
SINGAPORE'S health services are gaining a new ally, as private operators join the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in providing the Emergency Ambulance Service from today.
The additions come as the demand for emergency services rise due to the increasing ageing population.
The two private companies - Lentor Ambulance and Unistrong Technology - will contribute five ambulances each and they will be stationed at 10 different fire stations islandwide.
However, they will provide services only from Mondays to Saturdays, between 8am and 8pm.
The models of these ambulances differ from those of the SCDF, but SCDF Commissioner Peter Lim said the equipment in the private ambulances meets SCDF standards and that internal space is not an issue.
And for the first month of operation, an SCDF paramedic will be attached to each private ambulance to supervise and ensure that service standards are met.
Likewise, the crew from these private ambulances will be subjected to the same stringent checks that are in place for SCDF crew.
These measures include random quarterly checks and the crew having to take a compulsory Paramedic Specialist Certification Test once every six months.
Colonel Anwar Abdullah, the director of operations at SCDF, said: 'The private ambulances will be operating on the same principles and there will be no differentiation in the way we regard them.'
Both private operators said they began recruiting staff for their emergency medical services about two months ago.
Lentor Ambulance has recruited 10 teams, each consisting of a paramedic, a medic and a driver. Unistrong Technology has recruited nine teams.
Like all paramedics, they are trained by the SCDF or the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), where students undergo a 33-week attachment with the SCDF during their course.
Mr Edward Teo, the general manager of Unistrong Technology, said: 'The profiles of these paramedics vary greatly. Some are fresh graduates from ITE while I have drivers who used to work with the SCDF and then decided to join us.'
Ms Nurul Hatta, 21, decided to join Lentor Ambulance as a paramedic after graduating from ITE last month.
She said: 'I prefer working with Lentor as it means that I have permanent Sundays off and I don't have to work nights. There are also fewer regimental issues to deal with when joining a private ambulance operator.'
Ms Siti Harjar, also with Lentor Ambulance, agreed. 'It's much more flexible working with a private ambulance operator,' said the 25-year-old fresh graduate from ITE College East, Simei.
'I'm a little worried about starting work. However, I think the attachment with the SCDF during my course has trained me well and will prepare me for any situation.' [email protected]
