DILG probes 911 response delay in Taguig medical emergency

MANILA, Philippines —The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is investigating a reported delay in the response to an emergency call involving a 71-year-old patient who suffered a mild stroke in Taguig City on Saturday.

The emergency call was received by the Emergency 911 service at around 12:15 p.m. on Aug. 15, according to an initial report sent to the Inquirer by DILG chief Jonvic Remulla.

“Director Francis [Fajardo] has already documented the incident for immediate investigation,” Remulla told the Inquirer on Sunday.

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The caller sought urgent ambulance assistance for the elderly patient, prompting 911 to relay the case to the Taguig Command Center at around 12:17 p.m. The command center acknowledged the emergency and reportedly committed to dispatching an ambulance.

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However, follow-up calls made at 4:57 p.m. and 5:56 p.m. failed to establish whether an ambulance had been dispatched or had reached the patient. The initial report also pointed to a possible problem in the shift handover and endorsement of the emergency case.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the family of a 71-year-old man who suffered a medical emergency in Taguig City apologized for the “inappropriate words” it previously used against the 911 hotline.

“First, I would like to sincerely apologize for the inappropriate words I used regarding the 911 hotline. I was extremely emotional and overwhelmed by what was happening to my father at that time,” said the netizen.

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“Since this matter has already been raised with our Honorable Secretary Jonvic Remulla and the appropriate government authorities, my family and I have decided not to answer any further questions about this incident for the time being,” he added.

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In the earlier post, the family member said they had spent nearly 10 minutes trying to reach 911 before someone answered and said that the call involved repeated requests to “wait” while they could hear people talking and laughing in the background.

Earlier, the netizen said that when the ambulance finally arrived, there was sufficient equipment, and no one took over CPR from him, prompting him to continue performing CPR until his father passed away.

“Because everything happened so quickly, I cannot say for certain why some equipment or personnel were unavailable when they arrived. I also do not want to make assumptions or provide inaccurate information about this,” said the netizen in his latest post on Sunday.

The netizen also clarified that the barangay ambulance was not the one dispatched by 911, apologizing for the confusion.

“Our only wish is that no other family will ever have to go through a situation like this. We were scared, we were grieving, and we were trying to save my father’s life,” the netizen said.

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“I reacted out of fear and anger, but I also acknowledge when there are things that I need to correct,” the netizen added. /atm/mcm