Emergency ambulance calls double after Health Ministry cancels charges

Emergency calls for ambulances have doubled in recent weeks in some areas of the country, after the Health Ministry's decision to cancel charges even for calls deemed unnecessary. According to Ryszard Wisniewski from the Emergency Medical Services in Bialystok, people now often call with such minor ills as an injured finger. The Health Ministry claims there is no real increase in cost, but the Szczecin emergency services say they may be several millions zlotys short by year's end. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A4) P.W.