Posted on 12/31/2008 9:48:46 AM PST by Red in Blue PA
Two EMT workers in Britain were arrested after they were heard allegedly discussing whether they should bother to resuscitate a disabled man who had collapsed at home and subsequently died.
Barry Baker, 59, who lived alone, dialed 911 saying that he thought he was having a heart attack. An ambulance was sent to his house while a controller kept him talking on the line.
By the time the ambulance arrived at the house in Patcham, Brighton, Baker had collapsed, but the telephone line was still open and was being recorded.
It is alleged that staff in the control center heard the two medics making disparaging comments about the state of the house.
A police source, who asked not to be named, said that the medics were then heard discussing Baker and saying words to the effect that he was not worth saving."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Welcome to socialized medicine.
</sarc>
It was probably time for their union break.
Why should this be alarming? Almost 50 million people have been “not worth saving” in the US since 1973.
Cue “Bring out yer Dead” sketch...
To be clear, this is a stressful job, and that they might have joked “what a dump, this guy probably isn’t worth saving” they might in fact have been doing everything in their power to save him.
It is only my opinion, can’t prove it, but I do believe these two people represent the majority today. And not just among paramedics.
But maybe they always were.
Yikes! I’m gonna start cleaning my house today!
Bingo!
You heard about this one. There were hundreds of others.
“...I’m not dead yet...”
Heartbreaking.
"Baker, who used sticks to help to him walk after undergoing hip replacement surgery..." would have been waiting a long, long time for a regular cane, much less a walker.
The sooner they die, the less we have to pay for their pension.
I think they could find better ways to deal with the stress other than debating whether or not the victim should be saved.
Universal health care in this country will come with all the efficiency of the Post Office coupled with all the humanity of the IRS.
Shame on them!!
That's why the good Lord gave us bartenders.
L
Some animals are more equal than others.
Besides, it was probably around tea time anyway.
And the utter ‘rules are rules’ stupidity of the DMV.
Welcome to the Culture of Death, without which socialized medicine would not be possibe.
I'd wait for some conformation before I got too enraged at this particular incident.
Actually, while the article does not make every detail explicit, it does sound like they decided NOT to resuscitate and to LIE about the situation:
"They are said to have discussed what to tell ambulance control and decided to say that Baker was already dead when they got there."
Slippery Slope Alert
“I’m feeling better!”
Thank goodness the nazis didnt conquer England, huh?
Sometimes i wonder what we *really* accomplished by saving them. They are no longer free, free speech is dead, sharia law is moving in, religious freedom is dead there, they live under constant surveillance, they are pushing for prosecution of global warming denyers, their guns are confiscated, and Iranians in motor launches can defeat RN warships.
Englands only purpose now is to serve as an object lesson for us. When they come for your guns, and restrict speech, its time to fight.
Not limited to socialized medicine. I was in the ER with my dad last night and the dr wanted to know about advanced directives. I told him that if dad coded he had to bring him back, or at least try.
The Dr’s response? “Really!?” in a surprised and disapproving tone.
I locked eyes with him and said “Really.”
End of conversation.
This guy was tacky enough to hold this discussion in front of my dad.
grrrrr.
Beyond belief.
Obama style health care. Coming to your country soon.
That was my EXACT thought before I even came to the replies!
The harder and more stressful the job, the worse the humor. I remember cadences in the Army, "Napalm napalm sticks like glue, sticks to kids and their mommies too." There are variations of the same.
It's a "Walk a mile in his shoes" thing.
ping
just think, someday these medics will be 59...
Thank goodness the nazis didnt conquer England, huh?And citizens get prosecuted for defending themselves (as best they can, unarmed) while criminals go unprosecuted.Sometimes i wonder what we *really* accomplished by saving them. They are no longer free, free speech is dead, sharia law is moving in, religious freedom is dead there, they live under constant surveillance, they are pushing for prosecution of global warming denyers, their guns are confiscated, and Iranians in motor launches can defeat RN warships.
Englands only purpose now is to serve as an object lesson for us. When they come for your guns, and restrict speech, its time to fight.
And then, of course, there's the whole "health" system.
Oh, and this doesn’t happen in the US?
Come on.....
Talk to some cops and EMTs. While it might not be this bad, sometimes it is really bad.
If you only realized the futility of resuscitation efforts. The percentages of recovery are really bad, and those that we CAN save, usually end up brain-damaged and die a short time later anyway.
Full life-support measures are only effective long-term on young, healthy people that have an accident that caused their code.
We were in Florida several weeks back. Went to the Kennedy Space Center where it appeared we were the only Americans. The Europeans seemed to be in the majority. Now we are very use to gawkers of all sorts. We choose not to stay home with our profoundly disabled son. Well these folks were different than any other we have ever encountered. Their gawks were also accompanied by looks of disdain. Almost as if we were responsible for ruining their day out. When they had to wait for our son to be boarded on the handicap bus their looks grew to anger and agitation. It was a quick look into their souls and a look into America's future. Currently when out with our son the gawking appears to be curiosity driven with many smiles mixed in. On that long day at KSC there was 1 smile.
Pray for America like you never did before. Do everything in your power to stop this avalanche before it starts. Also, smile at a less fortunate individual as you look at them. If they are alone, praise them for their strength and courage to do life in spite of their many challenges. It will encourage them and also continue to set America apart from the rest of the world.
*shrug* YMMV
The first mass killing, around 1934 or so, were of the healthy, but sever handicap, and even mildly retarded in Nazi Germany. That was an easy group with absolute few advocates, and somewhat well supported ideologically by the German opinion class.
Efficiency, scientific society, healthy breeding and all that...
My only problems are the obvious editorial bias of the Dr. and the fact that the discussion was held in front of my dad, without including him in the conversation.
He's still a human being. For now.
Thanks.
There are always exceptions to every rule. My mother, at 71 coded in the hospital, was rushed to ICU and put on life support. After 9 days the doc called the family in and said they had done all they could do and was going to remove life support. Wanted us all there so if there was anything we wanted to say or ask, time would be limited......2 hours to 2 days probably.
Within half an hour of taking her off, she was sitting up in a chair, feeding herself. A few days later she went home and lived 2 more years. She died from an unrelated condition. She also showed NO effects from the experience, she was as she had always been.
Fire them.
Welcome to ObamaCare.
Volunteerism is all about dropping a turkey into the food bin around the holidays....as long as “the news team you know and can trust!” is there to capture the blessed event on video.
This one for some reason just gave me chills.
To think that those that have chosen, not forced mind you but chosen to be rescue workers, to save lives can suddenly decide your not worth saving and to let you die is just chilling.
JB
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.