Functioning of emergency medical services during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of Yakutsk city

Abstract

 To study the functioning of emergency medical services in the city of Yakutsk during the new coronavirus infection, a retrospective comparative analysis of main performance indicators of the Yakutsk Ambulance Service in the period 2017–2021 was conducted. It was revealed that the number of calls in Yakutsk City and its suburbs had been growing annually. However, compared to 2019, the end of 2021 saw a decreased number of total visits by 1.2.%; of efficient visits — by 1.5%; of patients having received aid — by 1.1.%. At the same time, in 2020–2021, in order to ensure timely and quality response to all the calls, the Service had to tackle a range of managerial challenges (deficit of ambulance teams, 32% incidence in doctors and assistants, difficulties with admitting the patients with pathologies other than the COVID-19).