Doctor's Visit

Today was a slow day in Akko. In order to fill up the space I'll have to tell you the calls all of us got today. Emily and I were going to switch off on the Ragil, so the first call Emily took which was for the run to the bank for the deposits. Upon her return we waited and then it was my turn when the buzzer sounded for a Ragil call.

I loaded up on the Ragil with Anas and Yaccov (the volunteer coordinator for the station and a driver). We were dispatched to an apartment to take a patient from his apartment to a doctor's visit and then back home again. So we went up the two flights of stairs (unfortunately there was no elevator) with the chair used to carry people down stairs. We then radioed another ambulance to come and assist. This would be one of Aryeh's calls for the day on the Atan. With Aryeh and I as "supervisors," four guys took the handles on the four corners of the chair and carried the man down the stairs. We loaded him into the ambulance and made the short drive to the clinic. We wheel him in on the ambulance bed, fold it down into the chair and waited for his appointment for a test on the first floor. When he was done we load him back into the chair, waited and then took him to the second floor for his visit with the doctor. We waited again until the doctor's appointment was done and loaded him back into the ambulance for the drive home. The other ambulance was waiting for us at the house and we loaded up the guy in the chair. This time I get a rotation through carrying him up a flight of stairs and then I was replaced and they finished the rest of the climb. Not the most glamourous call but shows another side of the emergency medical system.

The rest of the day was filled with trying to entertain ourselves because there wasn't any other calls that we went on (Aryeh maybe had another but I don't remember). The volunteer's room was being used for a class so we hid out in the driver's room and ended up watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy. Met a local volunteer who we hadn't met before, his name is Razi. It was nice to chat with him for a little bit. Yaccov found a stash of chocolate somewhere and came to share it with us. That was pretty much our shift for the day.

Tomorrow I'm traveling to Tel Aviv for a little visit. So next blog will be Sunday. Shabbat shalom!