“We are not the angel of death” – emergency medical technician
Alyor Saidmirzayev has been working as a paramedic at the Fergana City Emergency Medical Service Department for 35 years. Having experienced the ups and downs, the highs and lows of his profession, our hero spoke about the current state of the field, the responsibility at work, and people's attitude towards doctors. "When we go to a call, sometimes they insult us, and when the time comes, they even beat us, but we endure it all," he says.
“We are not the angel of death” – emergency medical technician
Alyor Saidmirzayev has been working as an emergency medical technician (EMT) at the Fergana City Emergency Medical Services Department for 35 years. “When we go to a call, sometimes they insult us, sometimes they even beat us, but we endure it all,” he says.
When I was slapped, tears came to my eyes...
“There is no peace in our work. And our responsibility is very great. Situations vary. When we arrive at the address, they insult us, saying we arrived late. As much as possible, we calmly speak kindly to the patient and their relatives, reconcile husbands and wives if they are arguing, and after we administer the medications, the situation changes for the better. In many cases, when a patient is nervous, a seizure can also start, and we provide help...
There are many nervous people. For people, one minute feels like an hour. When we arrive, they scream, shout, and insult us for being late, but we endure it... We try to treat them with as much composure as possible. After first aid is provided and the patient's blood pressure or body temperature drops, they express their gratitude.
All kinds of situations happen. Once, when we went to a call, first aid was provided to a man. Despite all the help, the patient's blood pressure did not drop. Out of helplessness, we put the patient on a stretcher. At that moment, a dog came from somewhere and bit my shoulder. That day, I went to provide first aid to someone, but first aid had to be provided to me instead. I had to put my work aside and undergo treatment for a while.
One day, there was a call. By the time we arrived, an 80-year-old man had suffered a heart attack, meaning he had passed away. His wife asked me if her husband had died. No sooner had I said, 'Auntie, may God rest his soul, his life was this long, this is all we could do,' than a slap landed on my face. Tears involuntarily came to my eyes. Back then, what the housewife did hurt very deeply. I sat down and cried,” says EMT Alyor Saidmirzayev.