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Europe:
Hungarian
Paramedics
Agree
to
Keep
Police
Away
from
Drug
Emergencies
12/23/05
The Hungarian National Ambulance Service has agreed to instruct its paramedics to no longer call the police when dealing with overdoses and other drug emergencies, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union reported (HCLU). The policy change comes as the result of a campaign led by the HCLU, which has emerged as a leading force for drug law reform in the East European nation. Following frequent complaints from drug users that paramedics providing medical care would turn them in to the police, the HCLU convinced the ambulance service that its practice not only violated patient privacy rights, but also had harmful social results. Drug users feared to call for help in emergencies for fear of arrest, even in cases where the lack of fast action could result in death, the HCLU argued. While the ambulance service officially changed its policy with an official order in July instructing local services to not automatically call police in drug-related emergencies, the policy change was apparently slow to sink in with some paramedics. In one recent case, the HCLU informed the National Ambulance Service that policemen were waiting for one overdose victim when he arrived at the hospital. That complaint bought an official reprimand for the regional service and a clarification that paramedics must respect the July policy change and respect the privacy of drug users in the future.
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