Everyone here has a good point. But, as one of those present and who was aware that the guy in question was a disaster waiting to happen, I think we have a responsibility to head these things off before they become a problem. It's a pain in the ass, but, given where we are, we have to police our own community somewhat.

Putting aside the moronic behavior in question for a moment, I thought it might be good to have a bit of a discussion about how to deal with a medical emergency in Kunming--so that maybe at least some good can come of all this in the form of raised awareness in the foreign community.

I arrived at Ganesh I guess about 15 minutes after the incident and was told that an ambulance had been called, which failed to materialize in the hour or two that I was there. Maybe somebody called to cancel it or maybe it never got there, I'm not sure.

In any case, I was under the impression that the best thing to do in an emergency is to take a taxi or private car to the hospital.

There are three reasons behind this line of thought. First, a car or taxi can usually be taken from the scene of the emergency; no waiting for the ambulance to get there. If there are no free cabs, one can always stop and commandeer a taxi with passengers in it. Second, traffic in China does not yield to an ambulance with flashing lights the way that it does in other countries, so their isn't much of any added speed factor once you've waited around for the ambulance to arrive. Most of us have probably seen this. Finally, I am under the impression that most Chinese ambulances do not have the same EMTs and life supporting capabilities that western ambulances have. I'm not positive about this one, and there may be different kinds of ambulance, but the one time I looked inside one there was nothing in it except a stretcher, no medical equipment of any kind. Which makes it not much better than a taxi in terms of keeping you alive.

Any feedback on this? Any suggestions on which hospital to go to in a major medical emergency?

FYI, emergency numbers in China (to my knowledge):
Police 110
Fire 119
Ambulance 120
Traffic 122

I've never called one of these, so I'm not sure if there are people on hand who speak English.

^Used "their" in place of "there" in the previous post. 非常 ashamed of myself.

Totally agree with Chris Taylor; it isn't his fault because somebody should have intervened and explained to the poor guy the consequences that might result from his actions.

How was he to know? He might be an adult, but his capacity was impaired by drugs and alcohol. Obviously, this puts the onus on us.

Community policing is the answer. Constant foot patrols up and down Wenlin Jie and Wenhua Xiang should do the trick. We're gonna need hats.

Just fyi, the ambulance turned up about 5 minutes after the drugged-up fools in question had bundled the girl in a taxi. We explained the situation. They were concerned about her, and asked us if we had a way to contact the guys. We suggested they asked at Ganesh if they really wanted to know. Clearly they didn't ask...

As for responsibility, I agree that it would be good to encourage some kind of preventative action, but when the people in question are so completely wasted, it is pretty impossible to rein them in. Best advert I've ever seen for staying off drugs.

First... I try not to post when I am frustrated... so if anyone involved reads what I wrote earlier, indeed, sorry if it was a little harsh.

Second. There is one definite, absolute case in which I would call the paramedics, it would be if there is any neck back or head trauma. After some time as a CPR instructor, I suppose I am now more likely to go for the ambulance for this reason: The people in the ambulance should have proper training. If there is any question about a neck or back injury, or if someone is not breathing, the paramedics should be called. I also hope that Chinese paramedics have adequate defibrillator machines

If time is of the essence, then maybe go for the taxi for superficial stuff. Just don't forget, generally, if someone is messed up to the point of needing an ambulance, they probably shouldn't be carried or moved or carted around in a taxi for long periods. They should be immobilized, on a stretcher, and in the presence of trained EMTs.

I got hit by a car last week while I was riding on my E-bike and flew 5m backwards. Heavy injury on right leg and a painful back is what I had. The ambulance came 1 hour later, literally. lol. While I was inside, they had about 3 emergency paramedics and few equipments. I don't know what they're called. They also had two beds. It took about 20minutes to get to the Hospital. When I arrived, they asked to pay first upfront or no treatment. Rofl.

Don't get hurt people.

A drug is a truth serom.
MK Ultra tried it.
But they looked for a confession.
A drug isn't a confession.
A drug is a behavior.
The bull in the china shop.
That's why people don't go there.
It is so easy to knock things over, so hard to get back up.
Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall in Kunming last Friday.
A stupid behavior happens very quickly.
The consequences linger and linger.
Manic depression is a frustrating mess.
I'm not sitting on a fence.
Never give a pence to sense.
Just do it on pretense.
Ever so dense, denser, oh de rinsed
Never, ever, veered off the road.
Explode.
Road.
Rode.
Load
No'd
Yo
O
No
Noooooooooo
Nooooooooooooooooo knowed.
No one knew, had a clue, you???
Except he had a lot of noise, and knocked over a few tables and chairs, and said a few rude remarks, in fact didn't even maintain a vertical posture.
But no one know'd he was about to explode, because he was just a load.
And if we are back in kindergarten, time out is just so emo.

Kunming Survival 101:

Based from observation and my training as an EMT in the U.S., I've witnessed dozens of medical emergencies here in Kunming in the last decade and there's really no easy way to approach this topic. If the community could come together and those interested take a basic first aid class people would have a better idea of when to taxi it to the hospital and how or when to wait for an ambulance. Most concussions do not require medical attention but some certainly do. Although the emergency medical staffs have gotten better they are still well below the training and protocol of professional EMTs.

In the future, here's what you should do with a head trauma situation. Try and clear people away from the injured person and if there are hostile individuals seek help to remove them from the scene. The last thing you need is to have a drunk/drugged crowd of bystanders providing unprofessional feedback and getting in the way of proper and quick situational diagnosis. If it is not possible to remove these obstacles do your best to ignore them. Furthermore, EMTs and those helping the injured often lead the risk of attack by the person who has instigated the situation or bystanders that think you are involved. That's one benefit of a medical uniform. So without it, be careful and let people know that you are trying to help.

First, establish if they are alert and oriented.

If the person is unconscious the radial or jugular pulse should be taken to establish whether or not there is a pulse present. If there is not a pulse then an ambulance should be called immediately and told the injured person is without a palpable pulse. That may get them to hurry to the site. If someone's heart is not beating CPR should be administered immediately. Since we are dealing with a head or body injury that is significant enough to stop the heart someone will need to stabilize the injured person's cervical spine (neck) to prevent unnecessarily damaging the spinal cord. Sometimes these types of injuries will cause a fracture (break) in one of the spinal bones and moving the neck around prematurely (before x-ray or other proper diagnosis) can lead to severing or injuring the spinal cord. While a bystander holds the head in place, CPR should then be given until an emergency medical technician arrives on the scene. If you are in a place with a defibrillator, AED (Automated External Defibrillators), which is a battery powered device that delivers an electric charge to the heart, then it should be used. If you haven't had training on how to use one, which only requires placing the electrodes in the proper place, moving away from the body before the electric shock is administered and pushing a button. These automated devices will read the heart's rhythm and decide if the shock is applicable. One reminder, if the injured person is in a puddle or body of water you should not use this device until everyone has cleared away from the person and the water. If you're kneeling down beside the body with water beneath you you will also be electrocuted by the AED device. One problem you will find here in Kunming with the local EMTs is that upon arrival they will not take proper precautions to avoid spinal injury. They will start by shaking the injured person and shouting to wake them up. If that doesn't work they may try and force the person to be in a sitting position and then use unsound techniques to get the person on a gurney (stretcher) and into the ambulance. Not sure how you can avoid this besides actively holding the injured person's neck and head until it is securely strapped down to the gurney.

Back to alert and oriented; try not to move the injured person until they have regained consciousness unless you are willing to take the risk of spinal/neck injury. If a pulse is present you can begin by asking the person if they can hear you. If they do not respond to auditory stimuli (sound) you can take your knuckles and rub them on the center of the sternum (midline of the chest) to provoke a response to the pain. If there's no response to pain then the person has sustained a more serious concussion. Most people injured by concussion and unconscious will wake within a few seconds to a few minutes. The length of time the person is unconscious can also determine the severity of the concussion; a Grade I concussion consists of confusion only (no loss of consciousness), Grade II includes confusion and post-traumatic amnesia (loss of memory 30 minutes to 24hrs, possible loss of consciousness for less than 1 minute); Grade III and IV involve a longer duration of loss of consciousness (1-5 minutes). Anyone who remains unconscious for minutes has sustained a more serious concussion and should go to the hospital. According to the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) permanent brain injury can occur with either a Grade II or Grade II concussion. The mechanism of injury can also tell us whether or not the injured person should go to the hospital. Just know that moving the person to the hospital before they wake or without proper training runs the risk of further neck injury. Once they are awake you can ask if they have significant pain in or around their neck. Not all neck and spinal injuries present with pain right away, and the injured are not usually conscious enough to know which pain is which. Furthermore their adrenal system as already begun the fight or flight process which can mask the pain of injured areas. Once the person wakes warm sweetened water should be given in small amounts. At this point it may be wise to try and move the person away from the crowd that has gathered around, or try and get people to back up or leave the scene. To establish the level of alertness ask the injured person these questions: if they know their name; if they know where they are; if they know the day or date. If they cannot answer one of these questions then they have most likely sustained a more serious concussion and a trip to the hospital is advised. The injured should be asked if they are experiencing nausea or if vomiting is observed these are indications of a more serious concussion. Doctors will determine the severity by physical and neurological diagnosis and/or CT scan to determine the level of brain swelling.

If the injured person has answered the questions correctly and are coherent and decide not to go to the hospital then they should be told to watch for signs of brain injury/concussion while at home; nausea, vomiting, severe headache, visual disturbance (blurred vision, double vision, sensitivity to light), lack of motor coordination (hard to move), difficulty balancing. It is important to observe whether or not these symptoms, if experienced, get better or worse over time. If any symptoms worsen go to the hospital. Otherwise, get plenty of rest at night and during the day, keep hydrated with water and electrolytes and take it easy for a few weeks to allow your body to recover.

That being said, it would be wise for restaurants and bars to do what Salvador's has done and have their staff trained in CPR, chocking and first aid. For those interested you can contact Zhang Ying (Daisy, who works in the Yunnan Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital's Foreign Administration Department) and she can help set up a course in CPR at the hospital or provide you with information; 362-0626.

if there's one good thing to come out of the moron's unconscionable actions it's the beautiful prose above.

i take it there was more than one moron, but only one of them went randy robinson on the girl?

i'm picturing a marauding band of droogs, swinging chains, sipping 'the old knifey moloko' and indulging in random acts of orgiastic violence.