Opinion | Beijing hospital staff grilled over private use of ambulance sirens
With sirens wailing, a Beijing ambulance headed for the hospital was not rushing a patient back at all. It was returning from a noodle restaurant where staff members had dinner that night
It was Friday evening in Beijing and along Haidian Dong San Jie, an ambulance could be seen hurtling down the street – the vehicle's blue and red lights flashing and sirens wailing.
The ambulance from the Beijing Emergency Medical Centre in Haidian was not rushing a sick or injured patient to the hospital, however. In fact, it was not carrying any patients at all.
The ambulance crew was heading back from dinner at a nearby noodle restaurant. Onboard were other hospital staff, all dressed in their white medical coats.
“I frequently see ambulances from the Haidian hospital parking lot drive over to a restaurant for meals. They will then turn on their sirens and head back to the hospital. I’d like to ask 1) aren’t these ambulances under the management of the hospital? 2) Are these acts even allowed?”
His post spread across social media, sparking debate over emergency-staff work ethics and non-compliance issues.