The “Dobrobut” medical network, with the support of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, launched an information campaign "Keep the life! Give way to ambulances!" to increase social responsibility and awareness among drivers about the importance of giving way to ambulances.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, every fourth driver disregards the rules for passing an ambulance. In 2022, about 20% of drivers did not give priority to vehicles with special signals turned on.
In Ukraine, there is an approved standard that an ambulance team in cities should arrive in 10-20 minutes, depending on the category of the call — critical or emergency. However, it is often difficult for the teams to adhere to these standards, because at busy intersections or in traffic jams, drivers do not give way to an ambulance, even when it is driving with a siren. Losing one minute can significantly reduce a personʼs chances of survival, especially in critical cases.
"In emergency medicine, there are no ʼnon-serious conditionsʼ, because each individual disease has a limited time for assistance. For example, if a stroke is suspected, there is a so-called ʼwindow of therapeutic opportunityʼ when doctors can restore blood flow in the affected vessel. And this time is counted from the moment symptoms appear, not from the moment the ambulance arrives. This means that most often, if you see an ambulance with special signals on the road, it is carrying a "serious" patient, for whom every minute can be crucial," said Olha Adamenko, head of the emergency department of the “Dobrobut” medical network.
The beginning of the social campaign and one of its key elements is a video with the slogan: "Keep the life! Give way to ambulances!"
The initiative was supported, in particular, by the Multiplex and Oscar cinema chains: they will show the video at the beginning of movie screenings. Media partners are Babel, Suspilne, LB.ua, and Gazeta.ua.
The campaignʼs future plans include a series of educational videos in collaboration with driving schools on the rules of behavior on the road when meeting with an ambulance.
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