** Female New Zealand paramedic threatened by man with crossbow
** UK medic suspended after failing to properly treat baby with breathing problems
NEW ZEALAND NEWS
** A St. John Ambulance medic continues to recover from shock after a fake EMS help hail ended with her being threatened by a man with a crossbow. The Manawatu Standard (August 19) said the 11:30 p.m. incident in Fielding on August 15th played out with the Maori man demanding drugs from the lone provider. According to the newspaper, the original call came into dispatchers as one for a person who had fallen from a deck. When the practitioner informed the man her medical kit did not contain drugs, the polite potential assailant merely walked away. New Zealand Ambulance Association spokesman Mark Quin said the call is another example showing why lone medic crews are dangerous. Police, meanwhile, continue to search for the man.
UNITED KINGDOM NEWS
** A Plymouth paramedic has earned a one year suspension from duty after failing to properly treat an infant with breathing problems. That is the word from the Western Morning News (August 21) which said South Western Ambulance Service medic Robert Toney was handed the layoff by the Health and Care Professions Council. According to the newspaper, Toney declined to give the newborn baby oxygen despite obvious signs the child was in difficulty. The incident was the second for Toney who also failed to aid a child in 2011. In that example, the baby, who later died, was not treated with ALS and was left in the care of an unqualified ambulance technician. At the time, Toney explained away his actions by saying he believed the infant was already dead. He was cleared of misconduct and allowed to continue practicing.
