A shot in the arm for healthcare access
Community-led initiatives offer free ambulance and transport services to medical facilities in Subang Jaya, Shah Alam.
THERE is growing demand for transport services to healthcare facilities for medical emergencies and hospital appointments.
Community-led initiatives seek to bridge gaps in instances where hospitals are located far from residential areas or ambulances are unavailable.
These locally managed services provide faster response times during emergencies and support residents in need of transport for medical check-ups and treatments while catering to people with mobility challenges.
Going the extra mile: SJ Beacon's paramedics ensuring their equipment is in tip-top condition to handle any emergency in Subang Jaya. — ART CHEN/The Star
Such efforts help reduce the load on hospital ambulances, especially for non-critical cases.
With these community initiatives in place, medical facilities have the flexibility to allocate their emergency resources where they are most needed.
StarMetro spoke to a city council and non-governmental organisation, which have been operating for several years now, to better understand the services offered, impact on residents and how other communities with similar challenges could learn from them.
MBSA's free service
The free community transport service by Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) is marking its 10th anniversary this year.
Since its inception, city council vans have made over 2,000 trips ferrying residents in Shah Alam for medical appointments.
MBSA Community Development Department director Shahrin Ahmad said the service was aimed at providing transport for people with disabilities and senior citizens in Shah Alam.
He said the service was designed particularly for those from underprivileged groups who had to go for their medical appointments and dialysis treatments.
'We saw a need for this service as there were senior citizens living alone or had no one to take them for their medical appointments.
'It is also costly for them to rely on e-hailing rides,' he said.
The council-initiated community project started in 2015 with two vehicles – a modified van and multipurpose vehicle (MPV).
The fleet has since increased to three vehicles.
Driver Shazali loading a wheelchair into one of the modified vans used in MBSA's free community transport service.
A fourth one, a van, will be acquired by July.
Shahrin said it cost about RM250,000 to buy a new van and modify it to fit in a tail lift to transport wheelchair-bound people. It also has special seat belts for the wheelchair.
The modified van can accommodate a driver, one wheelchair user and a companion while the MPV can take in three passengers and a driver.
'The service is available on weekdays, from 8.30am to 5pm, by appointment only, with bookings to be made two weeks in advance,' said Shahrin.
'One vehicle handles one appointment per day, meaning we can only handle a maximum of three appointments daily.
'The patients typically have conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, require dialysis treatment or need to pick up prescribed medication,' he said, adding that they could not ferry those who were bedridden.
Shahrin said the drivers could manage wheelchair-bound passengers but were not trained as emergency responders.
The cost for the community transport service is entirely borne by MBSA, including fuel and vehicle maintenance as well as toll fare.
Shahrin says MBSA's medical transport service has expanded to 22 locations.
Initially, the service covered eight locations but it has now expanded to 22 locations since last year.
Most of the locations are hospitals, health clinics and dialysis centres in Shah Alam, with a few medical facilities in neighbouring cities such as Petaling Jaya and Klang.
'The most popular locations are Hospital Shah Alam, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah in Klang and University Malaya Medical Centre in Petaling Jaya.
'We expanded the drop-off points to include dialysis centres last year due to demand,' said Shahrin, adding that there had been special requests for drop-offs to further locations like the National Cancer Institute in Putrajaya.
The service, he said, made 91 trips when it started in 2015 and peaked in 2023 with 480 trips.
From January to April 30, there were 121 trips, making the total number of trips recorded over 10 years to 2,445.
Driver Shazali Ayub said many passengers were thankful for the service, with some moved to tears when expressing their gratitude.
Some would even offer to buy him a drink, which he has always declined, Shazali said.
'As the programme's pioneer driver, I have also trained colleagues, who joined later, on handling passengers and managing the tail lift.
'The van's maximum speed limit is 90km per hour, as driving faster could compromise the wheelchair user's safety,' he added.
Shazali said the three drivers had built close rapport with the regulars, so much so that some passengers would request for specific drivers to pick them up.
He said there were times when drivers would learn of a regular passenger's passing only upon calling the contact number to enquire why they had not requested a pickup for some time.
To book the MBSA transport service, call 03-5522 2732 or WhatsApp 010-353 3129.
SJ Beacon ambulance
Subang Jaya Bomba Emergen-cy Assistance Community, better known as SJ Beacon, offers a dedicated ambulance service to address urgent healthcare access issues due to Subang Jaya's distance from major public hospitals.
It is run by a team of full-time and part-time staff and volunteers, supported by a committee that is focused on fundraising and operations.
SJ Beacon deputy president Kelvin Chew said they offer primarily free ambulance services for emergency medical cases in Subang Jaya.
'Some of the emergency cases we handle are traffic accidents, heart attacks, sudden collapses or seizures, falls at home and even childbirth.
'Victims or patients are usually sent to Hospital Shah Alam while those who require specialist treatments will be sent to Hospital Serdang or Hospital Sungai Buloh.
'Some are sent to the two private hospitals in Subang Jaya upon request or if they have records there,' added Chew.
Chew says SJ Beacon primarily offers free ambulance services during emergencies.
SJ Beacon operates via two hotline numbers and typical response time is less than 10 minutes.
Its area of operation is within the Subang Jaya constituency that covers SS12 to SS19, USJ1 to USJ22 and PJS7 to PJS11.
Chew said the organisation started off as a community firefighting initiative where its volunteers trained with the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Department.
The evolution to ambulance services was driven by an urgent need, he said.
He said the goal was to provide emergency services for the township.
'Before this, ambulance arrival took at least 45 minutes, sometimes longer or not at all, which was often too late.
'We began operating in late 2017 using a still functional ambulance donated by Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC).
Shazali (standing) demonstrating how the tail lift in one of MBSA's modified vans is used to move a wheelchair user into the vehicle.
'We acquired a second ambulance thanks to a well-wisher who donated RM350,000 to buy a new vehicle,' he said.
Chew said SJ Beacon relies on public donations to run its core service.
SJ Beacon, he said, provides non-emergency patient transfer services and first aid training to corporations for a fee.
'The private transfer service is priced from RM200 per trip.
'The charges depend on distance, equipment and services needed, such as whether the person has limited mobility or needs oxygen supply.
Paramedic Thu Thiri Khit checking medical kits to ensure all equipment is functioning in SJ Beacon's ambulances.
'While there have been fundraising events where SJ Beacon was the beneficiary – the bulk of our funds still come from corporate and individual donations,' he said, adding that the NGO was in need of at least RM30,000 a month for medical equipment, fuel, staff salaries and vehicle maintenance.
Chew, who is also USJ13 Rukun Tetangga chairman, said only the paramedics earn a salary.
'We are constantly looking for qualified people to serve as paramedics,' he said.
'We welcome doctors waiting for their housemanship posting or those with experience as St John Ambulance of Malaysia (SJAM) or Red Crescent members to help.'
Despite joining SJ Beacon in early 2018, paramedic Mahendran Pillay Veerasingam said no two days were the same and he still finds himself learning something new every day.
Mahendran ensuring that the oxygen tanks are functioning during a routine check of one of SJ Beacon's ambulances.
'A full day's shift starts at 8am and ends at 8pm.
'I start my day by ensuring the ambulances are clean, equipment functioning and medical kit stocked.
'A busy day sees us responding to seven to eight cases,' he said, adding that a shift would comprise a team of three persons.
Mahendran said he had dealt with horrific traffic accidents, helped a pregnant woman with a home delivery and handled several attempted suicide cases.
'When responding to emergency cases, our team members also have to look out for their personal safety and assess whether the situation is safe for us to do our work.
'If it is a slow day, I will use the time to attend or read up on related training, programmes or certification to ensure my skills and knowledge are up to date,' he said, adding that he was also one of the seniors tasked with mentoring younger paramedics.
SJ Beacon is in the process of applying for tax exemption status to encourage more donations.
It also plans to have education and awareness programmes to teach community leaders basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills.
Its hotline numbers are 018-914 4699/ 018-201 4699.
To donate or sign up as a paramedic, visit https://tinyurl.com/etcu3uyb
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