Ediz Mevlit felt unwell on the Tube on his way home from work (Image: Ediz Mevlit)
A man has said he could have died if a friend had not taken him to hospital after the NHS allegedly refused to send an ambulance to help him. On Sunday, September 7, Ediz Mevlit, 51, who works in the bus industry, felt unwell on the London Underground on his way home from his shift. He felt his heart rate increase dramatically after arriving back home and called the London Ambulance Service (LAS).
But he says the person on the end of the line told him his situation was “not an emergency“. Mr Mevlit told The Express: “I worked as normal. On my way home I started to feel unwell on the Tube. I got home and deteriorated. “My heart was pumping like crazy around 160 to 170 beats per minute, and my blood pressure propping was very low. I checked on my machine as I have atrial fibrillation.
“I started to collapse a number of times. At around 12.30am I called 999 as I was struggling to breath.
Mr Mevlit was in hospital for a week (Image: Ediz Mevlit)
I needed help urgently as I kept collapsing. I had been sick and thought I was going to die. The 999 operator did not take the situation seriously. Reading off a script and asking strange questions that were not needed at the time as I was so scared of dying.
“I struggled to talk as I was getting confused so my wife took the phone. The LAS refused to send an ambulance as it was not deemed necessary or urgent.
“At this point we called a close family friend who picked me up off the floor after fainting again and urgently took me to hospital. On arrival at A&E at North Middlesex Hospital, I was rushed into resus.
“I remember someone saying, ‘It’s up to 200[bpm] and he’s going.’ I felt my whole body going numb and thought I was dying. They placed big pads on me ready to shock me. I’m not sure what they gave me, but I came around.
“I stayed in resus for 12 hours before being moved to a ward where I stayed in hospital for one week.”
Mr Mevlit was left baffled.
He said: “I did not understand why I was left on my own when I desperately needed help.
“Something went very wrong during that call. A tick box exercise did not allow me to get help and left to possibly die.
Mr Mevlit’s heart rate rocketed (Image: Ediz Mevlit)
“The human element had gone. Common sense gone . This could have ended badly.”
But he made sure to point out that staff at the hospital were “amazing” and “LAS responders are not to blame here”.
“This is a problem caused by not listening and failing to understand what was happening rather than filling in boxes on the screen,” Mr Mevlit said.
“Just like the famous little Britain sketch went, ‘Computer says no.’
“If I had stayed at home and not taken the decision to go to the hospital, I would not be here today.”
The LAS has been contacted for comment.
In an email to Mr Mevlit, sent on Monday, September 21, it expressed its “sincere apologies” for the way he felt about his experience.
The service added: “I appreciate that contacting the emergency services can be a stressful and worrying time, and I am sorry to learn that the experience has left you feeling concerned and dissatisfied.
“We take all feedback seriously and are committed to listening to and understanding the experiences of those who contact our service.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
