Tall ambulances force Bern women’s clinic to reroute emergencies

Ambulances can no longer reach the emergency department of Bern Women’s Clinic through its underground garage because modern vehicles are too tall, SRF reported. Emergency patients will instead be taken through the main entrance and the lobby.

The new clinic building will open on Saturday after a lengthy renovation prompted by construction defects, structural problems and collapsed steps. During the years of work, ambulances became taller, and the clinic says the garage entrance could not be adapted.

Under the new procedure, ambulances will drive directly to the front of the building in emergencies. Patients may therefore pass through the waiting area and encounter visitors and other members of the public while being taken into the clinic.

Clinic operations manager Vera Urquizo said the arrangement was manageable but not ideal. Deputy chief physician Sara Imboden said the most uncomfortable situation would be an emergency arriving at about 2 p.m. when the waiting area is full.

The route also presents challenges for ambulance crews. At the end of the entrance and waiting area, they must navigate a 90-degree turn and pass through a narrow door, including in urgent cases involving women in labour who need an emergency caesarean section.

Chief physician Daniel Surbek said it would be preferable to drive into the basement and take patients directly to the lift. The current arrangement does have one advantage in an acute emergency, however, because the operating theatre level is already nearby.

The new clinic will be occupied over the weekend.