** Army drafted in to help with brewing Scottish Ambulance Service crisis in UK
UNITED KINGDOM NEWS
** In an effort to ease the crunch on emergency medical services, the military has been drafted in to help this weekend. That is the word from the BBC (September 22) which said the pressure on the service is a direct result of COVID related help hail jumps. According to the news site, 114 soldiers will act as drivers and support staff. The fire service, the Red Cross, and taxi firms will provide additional drivers. The move comes as medics and other health providers are warning of a brewing winter crisis within the Scottish Ambulance Service. Criticism of the organization has ramped up recently, with one article saying a Glasgow pensioner waited 40 hours for an ambulance, while an 86-year-old woman who had fallen and broken her hip waited eight. Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, meanwhile, apologized for the problem, saying COVID had created unprecedented demand.
