The Sanka didn't want to take him with him at first

Josef R. suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system.

If there is an acute infection, it becomes critical for the 70-year-old.

The last time that happened was in July.

The pensioner's wife dialed the emergency number, two paramedics came in the ambulance.

What happened next still makes Josef R. stunned - and angry.

The former police officer had previously developed a fever and had already been to his family doctor.

She diagnosed a urinary tract infection and told the retiree that he would have to go to the hospital if the symptoms did not improve.

On the evening of July 22nd, R. felt worse and worse.

With a fever of 40 degrees, he collapsed in his apartment and could no longer move.

“I was unable to move, could no longer stand or walk,” he recalls.

Fortunately, the help was there quickly - the car had apparently come from the local BRK ambulance.

A matter of care

But then the shock: the paramedics didn't want to take Josef R. with them.

He was not an emergency, they told the astonished pensioner.

His condition is a matter of care.

In addition, he may not be admitted to the Bruck Clinic, the house is full of corona patients.

It could happen that you have to drive him to Regensburg, Augsburg or Memmingen.

The paramedics are said to have discussed with the patient for half an hour.

The 70-year-old was completely insecure.

But he insisted on being taken to the hospital.

With the help of his rollator he dragged himself to the door ("five centimeter-wise") without the paramedics having helped him.

The men would have had to laboriously climb the four steps in front of the front door himself.

"My son then heaved me onto the stretcher," says R.

Then the trip to the hospital

In the ambulance it turned out that the trip was going to the Bruck Clinic.

It had been assigned to the paramedics by the Integrated Control Center (ILS) in Fürstenfeldbruck as the “closest, suitable and ready hospital”.

Florian Christner can understand this on the basis of the documented data.

“This process takes a maximum of two minutes,” says the ILS control center manager.

The paramedics would have had this information at the latest when they drove off, possibly earlier.

Josef R. had to stay in the hospital for a week.

It took that long to get the infection under control and lower the fever.

Back home the next shock came for the privately insured person - in the form of a bill for 842 euros for the emergency response.

"So I was obviously an emergency after all," says the ex-policeman.

Investigation of the incident

He accuses the paramedics of “lies, insolence and dilettantism”.

He asked the BRK district office in Bruck to investigate the incident.

But so far he has been waiting in vain for promised callbacks from those responsible.

R. does not want to put up with that.

"I won't pay the bill until the matter has been fully resolved."

BRK district manager Rainer Bertram did not comment on the allegations when asked about data protection.

"All details of an incident are subject to confidentiality."

In general, it is up to the emergency paramedics on site to decide how to proceed after an examination of the patient, for example calling an emergency doctor, notifying the health insurance company or taking the patient to the hospital.

Or do none of it?

"Completely detached from the specific case, we are not a taxi company."