“I thought I was going to die”: Betty’s three-hour wait for the ambulance
“I kept passing out and my husband couldn’t make sense of what I was saying. I really felt like that was it, that I was dying,” she said.
The 68-year-old social worker is now passionately advocating for more government funding for Hato Hone St John to speed up response times.
Her ordeal began at around 2:30 a.m. on July 26, when she was unable to stand and lost consciousness.
For about a month, Chapman had been feeling weak and dizzy due to a urinary tract infection. But this was nothing unusual and she had been taking her usual medications to treat it.
What she didn’t realize was that she had developed sepsis, a life-threatening medical emergency that can lead to septic shock, multiple organ failure, and possibly death.
“I couldn’t stand. I couldn’t eat. I had no control over my body.”
Her husband Barry called 111 in a panic. The operator told her that she was being treated as a priority and that an ambulance was on its way to the couple’s home in Bottle Lake, Christchurch.
The operator called back every 15 minutes to ask if Chapman’s condition had worsened.
Chapman said her husband was unsure how to properly communicate her severe symptoms to the telephone operator because of the stressful situation.
“He became more and more panicked as he watched me. I think that really affected him,” she said.
Every time he called the dispatcher, Barry was told that response was a priority and an ambulance was on the way.
Jon Moores, general manager of clinical effectiveness at St. John’s, said Chapman’s condition was assessed as “apparently serious but not immediately life-threatening” based on the information provided in the initial phone call.
“When demand for ambulance services is high, some patients whose condition is not immediately life-threatening may have to wait longer for an ambulance,” he said.
In the early hours of July 26, St. John was facing a high volume of traffic and all available ambulances were already busy with other emergencies, Moores said.
Chapman understands the high demand, but wonders if the operator should have requested more information about her concerning symptoms and placed her in a higher priority category.
“I’m pretty disappointed with your response. You should have asked more comprehensive questions. It wasn’t Barry’s job to know everything he could tell you.”
Chapman was examined by a doctor on Monday, who confirmed that her vital signs were life-threatening during the medical event.
Chapman wished the operator had told them there would be a longer response time so her husband could have decided to take her to the hospital.
“He would have gone to the neighbors and helped me into the car if he had known it would take three hours.”
When the ambulance arrived shortly after 6 a.m., paramedics said they had just started their shift and were unaware of the slow response time.
Chapman said: “It’s not the staff’s fault at all. St. John was fabulous when they got here. They saved my life. They just need to get more money.”
Chapman’s call for more funding comes as more than 2,500 paramedics have voted for a nationwide strike next Tuesday and Saturday.
Members of the FIRST Union and the New Zealand Ambulance Association say the measure is a last resort after St John failed to offer a pay rise and the government refused to confirm any increase in funding for the service.
During the strike, emergency personnel will continue to respond to life-threatening emergency calls.
The government currently funds 82 percent of St. John’s $395 million budget.
Chapman was in the hospital for four days and has spent the last two and a half weeks recovering at home with the support of her husband and friends.
“I’m back home and I’m alive, but no one should have to wait three hours.
“This is my first sick day in 22 years. Everyone has been texting, calling, dropping off food and baking. They’ve been fantastic.”
