Probe blasts ambulance staff

Witnesses were shocked when an Oslo ambulance team
refused to help Ali Farah at Sofienberg Park.
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An official investigation into an ambulance team's failure to help an injured Somalian-Norwegian roundly criticizes both the ambulance service and the hospital to which it was attached, Ullevål.

Hospital officials say they're accepting the criticism and apologize profusely that Ali Farah wasn't immediately rushed to their emergency room for treatment of a severe head wound.

Friends ended up taking him to a local emergency clinic, which in turn sent him to hospital. He underwent brain surgery and remains at Ullevål in serious condition with memory lapses.

Koninoor Nordberg, who lives
with Ali is considering sueing
the ambulance personell.
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State health officials investigating his case concluded this week that Ali Farah was treated "with little respect" and "discriminatory behaviour... with racist overtones."

The ambulance personnel's failure to treat him at the scene and take him to hospital was "indefensible," wrote the investigators, who obtained transcripts of conversations between the personnel and the ambulance's central switchboard, which also indicate a lack of respect for the victim and those with him.

Newspaper VG reported Thursday that one of the ambulance drivers at the scene was involved with the neo-Nazi group "Boot Boys" in the 1990s. The report was confirmed by both the group, the driver and health officials, who said they were aware of his background but that he'd been "helped out" of neo-Nazi circles.

The driver has repeatedly denied that Ali Farah was treated poorly, and claimed he never has had a written complaint after caring for 10,000 patients in his ambulance career. He and his partner have been suspended from their jobs.

Aftenposten English Web Desk
Nina Berglund

Read full report (in Norwegian) : http://www.vg.no/pdf/ambulanserapport2.pdf

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