An Australian soldier who has received several awards is startled by how long it took for an ambulance to arrive after he felt so ill that he dialed triple-zero out of desperation.
When Daniel Keighran, who received a Victoria Cross in 2012 for his valor in Afghanistan, unexpectedly became unwell at home in Brisbane, he dialed 911 for immediate assistance.
But it took nearly eight hours for paramedics to show there.
After being ultimately transferred to Royal Brisbane Hospital, Mr. Keighran was subsequently released, but he said the incident made him realize there is “a issue” with the system.
He laid in pain in his bathroom after being warned by an operator that there would be a long wait, according to 9News.
At one point, I was unable to move and was simply shaking it out while curled up in a ball.
“I was quite ill. When I call triple zero, there’s a cause for it,” I said.
Even as a soldier, according to Mr. Keighran, when he was “horrendously ill,” he got care right away.
The young corporal, 27, and his Afghan patrol were ambushed by Taliban insurgents as they were on patrol in Derapet, Uruzgan province, with the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment.
The fight lasted for over four hours, during which Mr. Keighran frequently placed himself in the path of ferocious enemy fire in order to assist identify targets and evacuate the injured.
Additionally, he received awards in East Timor for the Australian Service Medal and the United Nations Medal as well as the Afghanistan, Iraq, and Australia Active Service Medals.
Mr. Keighran said that after hearing reports of lengthy ambulance delays and now actually experiencing one, he has come to the conclusion that there is “clearly an issue.”
According to a statement from Queensland Ambulance Service, Mr. Keighran was forced to wait since the system gives ‘life threatening’ situations priority.
He was given the proper priority, it was added.