After-hours Emergency Medical Assistance -- Telephone 1870
When you suddenly become ill or injured outside the normal office hours of your regular physician, help is available at the Emergency Medical Assistance Centre at the National Hospital in Tórshavn.
The Medical Assistance Centre is located on the ground floor of the National Hospital near the Urgent Care Unit.
Always report to the information Desk (leiðbeining) in the central lobby when arriving at the hospital.
Serving the entire country, the Medical Assistance Centre is staffed by a doctor and a nurse.
The Centre is open weekdays from 16:00 to 08:00.
On weekends and holidays, the Centre is open at all hours.
When is it advisable to get in contact with the Emergency Medical Assistance Centre?
The Medical Assistance Centre can offer help when you suddenly become ill or have a deterioration in your medical condition, which makes it necessary for you to get in touch with a physican without normal office hours.
When in doubt, call the Centre at 1870.
The Medical Assistance Centre can also help with minor injuries.
It is important to call before arriving at the centre, because this will help the staff to plan, so that your waiting time at the centre will be as limited as possible. It may take some time for the staff to answer the phone. Patiently keep trying until you get through.
In case of an emergency, call the Emergency and Rescue Services at 112.
Medication refills
Refills of your prescribed medication are generally arranged by your personal physician during regular office hours. However, if you run out of important medicine, and cannot wait for normal office yours, the Medical Assistance Centre can provide you with a prescription.
Important advices
Before you call the Medical Assistance Centre, make sure you have the name and date of birth of the patient ready.
If you - or the person for whom you are calling - has a fever, take a temparature before calling.
Also it is important that you can explain about the symptoms, thus making it easier for the medical staff to evaluate the situation.
Children
If you are calling on behalf of a child, be sure to inform about the name and date of birth of the child. Before you call, take a few moments to evaluate the medical situation of the child in order to be more precise when asked about the medical condition of the child.
Has the child deteriorated over the last years? Does the child appear especially weak and fragile? Is the child vomiting or showing other signs of being very ill? Is the child running a fever? If yes, take the child’s temperature before you call the Medical Assistance Centre.
Emergency Medical Assistance Centre
When you call the Medical Assistance Centre, the staff on call will ask you to describe the nature of the illness or injury and any specific symptoms. The medical staff, either the doctor or the nurse, will evaluate your situation and determine whether advice over the telephone will be sufficient, or you should come to the centre for closer examination. In case you need to come to the centre, you will be given an appointment time and advice about how, when and where you should come to the Centre.
In special cases, the on-call doctor may decide that it would be best if a local doctor came to the home.
……………………………
After-hours Emergency Medical Assistance -- Telephone 1870
Things to remember:
· Always call before coming to the centre.
· Call 1870 to get an appointment.
· Report directly to the Information Desk (Leiðbeining) in the central lobby of the National Hospital.
· Take a seat in the glass-enclosed waiting area near the cafeteria dining area, and remain there until contacted by a staff member of the Medical Assistance Centre.
· Do not enter the hallway to the Urgent Care Unit unless accompanied by a staff member of the Medical Assistance Centre.
· If in doubt, enquire at the Information Desk (Leiðbeining).
|
