St. John Ambulance of Malaysia complements the government hospitals in major towns by extending its ambulance services to other remote areas.
Today, SJAM runs the largest fleet of privately-owned ambulances in Malaysia. Its Non-Emergency Ambulance Service is found in most major towns in Malaysia and is on standby during major events to provide first aid support to the public.
SJAM enhanced its ambulance service from that of a mere transporter to a paramedic service. In Kuala Lumpur, the Emergency Medical Assistance Service (EMAS) was formed in 1998 with a fleet of two ambulances to serve south Kuala Lumpur zones. SJAM Kawasan Pantai Selangor operates the largest number of ambulances in SJAM with thirty two vehicles serving the whole of Selangor, from Sabak Bernam to Sepang and from Ampang to Port Klang. In Teluk Intan, SJAM South Perak operates a fleet of four ambulances covering Hilir Perak district.
With more individuals and corporations coming forward to donate fully-equipped ambulances, SJAM can expand its network of ambulances to other states, and train members to be full-time paramedics.
With the completion of the multi-billion 966 kilometers North-South Expressway in 1994, motorists can now cut down travelling time from Bukit Kayu Hitam at the Kedah-Thailand border to Johor Bahru to less than twelve hours. With higher speed limit and more vehicles on the road, accidents are common. In 1995, SJAM stationed twenty two ambulances, each manned by three fully-trained members, at various PLUS toll stations. The objective of the Highway Emergency Ambulance Service (HEAS) is to provide first aid at any motor vehicle accidents at the earliest opportunity before the arrival of secondary support. Our presence also serves as a reminder to motorists to drive carefully; thus, contributing to indirect preventive measures.
Since the introduction of the service, 1,200 members have been rotated on an eight-hour shift over a period of four days during every Hari Raya and Chinese New Year balik kampung rush.
As a result of HEAS, members have been exposed to advanced first-aid skills particularly in triage, casualty management at accident scenes, rendering first aid assistance at the scene rather than in transit to hospitals and basic life support. From this programme, SJAM standardised first aid procedures and equipment across the nation and improved our members’ first aid standards. Ambulances are now better equipped to handle severe cases and most importantly, SJAM has been able to reach out to communities beyond Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Pinang and Johor Bahru.
