An ambulance from the roads of Karelia, Russia. Good thing – calling an ambulance is free for everyone. Another good thing – even this type of vehicle would transport real doctors to someone in need. Bad thing? The vehicle itself. To see what’s inside one of these – look inside this post.
Even from the outside shots one can see that inside these cars doesn’t look promising. 
In Soviet times calling an ambulance was just sometimes pretty not much justified – for example, old people were calling ambulances just for a chat if they felt lonely (I’ve read such stories), or pretty often people with high blood pressure were calling them to get a shot of blood pressure lowering medicine. Because the ambulance was and still is free – you don’t get any bill for the call.
Here is another one:
And there was a chance for the photographer to get inside this one. So here is what is inside one of them:
This is something called ‘electric sucking device’ – so the sign says.
Spare battery.
Couple of spare tires.
Probably some medical equipment.
Good thing they would bring real doctors. These should be professionals, no matter that their average salary in the country is roughly $7000 dollars a year.
Whoa. Nasty, but better than nothing.
I woould like to try that “electric sucking device”!!
i hope these are extreme examples, otherwise better than nothing may still be nothing.
In large cities there is no such thing) But alas there is on the outskirts of the Russian Federation. On the other hand UAZ can reach patient in the most severe conditions.
A friend in Hawaii had to call an ambulance for himself and was charged $900. He hopes that he will be reimbursed by Medicare.
haha must be a joke! but some people says better then nothing at all 🙂
Here in Australia, depending where you are, if you buy a “subscription”, or if live out in the country, an ambulance ride can cost 800$ and up if you don’t have insurance.
Here in England a ride in a modern well equipped ambulance is free. No insurance required.
Doesn’t the UK also have actual doctors on staff that ride in the ambulances themselves? In the US of A we only have EMT’s or in some cases paramedics.
When I lived in Moscow, most ambulance drivers were using these as taxi’s too. Although as nobody ever let ambulances through the blue lights didn’t help.
Definitely better than nothing.
In some rural areas of the USA, rescue helicopter air ambulance flights can often cost $10,000+ USD unless you have a subscription sin much the same way as Leigh said for AU road ambulances.
That means, if you are unemployed and don’t pay the subscription, you die.
You confuse Soviets with Russians. Make up your mind…
Civilians seem to be treated as garbage, but the defense forces have grade A+ equipment. The priorities of a retarded country …
Free?….is not always the best.