Cruz Roja Chapala (CRC) has had the good fortune of adding a new vehicle to its fleet, with the donation of a fully equipped second-hand ambulance offered by Alfredo Rodriguez Quintana, medical director of Hospital Ajijic.
On signing over the paperwork on Wednesday, September 10, Rodriguez told local reporters that he was giving away the 2000 model Ford ambulance van because it was rarely utilized by the hospital and would it would get much greater use by CRC.
Cruz Roja Administrator Oswaldo Montes González and Medical Director Sam Thelin commented that the compact ambulance will be employed primarily for patient transportation services rather than responses to emergency situations.
The vehicle was manufactured and kitted out in the United States, imported to Mexico by a Guadalajara company and acquired by an expat group called First Response that donated it to the Ajijic medical facility six years ago.
The ambulance was delivered in excellent mechanical condition, with a diesel motor that will assure long life and low expenses on fuel. It came equipped with its original gear, including apparatus for oxygen administration, stretchers, storage cabinets for medications, tools and treatment supplies, exterior electrical connections, sophisticated inner wirings, emergency running lights and sirens, all practically good as new.