Emergency 999 for Spanish patient

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7219391.stm

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Ambulance staff have been involved in another "international rescue" only 24 hours after helping a man on the other side of the world.

Operators at West Midlands Ambulance headquarters took a call from a Birmingham woman whose brother, 28, was unwell in Torremolinos, Spain.

Unable to raise the Spanish Embassy, operators contacted the man's hotel and staff there took the man to hospital.

On Wednesday, ambulance staff helped an unwell patient in Sydney, Australia.

Really proud

The latest call came in at 0320 GMT when the woman, calling from the Erdington area of Birmingham, contacted ambulance staff.

Operators eventually got through to a friend of the man's in Spain who called a doctor. He was taken to hospital and is thought to be recovering.

West Midlands Ambulance Service's emergency operations centre supervisor, Antony Glyptis, said: "Everyone in the team is really proud of the way that we are managing to help patients wherever they are - here in the West Midlands or around the world."

On Wednesday, at 0300 GMT, staff got a call from a man whose sister in Coogey Bay, Sydney, was unwell.

Staff contacted the Australian Embassy, who got in touch with local police and the woman was taken to hospital.