AMBULANCE BLOCKED BY BOLLARDS AS WOMAN LIES INJURED IN PAPHOS - in-cyprus 25/7 by Dora Christodoulou
An ambulance was unable to reach a woman injured at a café in Paphos’s shopping district because metal bollards blocked access to the scene.
The woman was injured after falling on the premises’ stairs. Witnesses called an ambulance to take her to hospital, but the vehicle could not approach the café.
Metal bollards installed across the surrounding area prevented the ambulance from reaching the spot where the injured woman was lying.
The incident prompted strong reactions from witnesses and local shopkeepers, who complained that the widespread installation of bollards by the municipality in recent years had created problems for both businesses and emergency access.
Video obtained by Filenews from witnesses shows the Paphos General Hospital ambulance arriving in the area but stopping a considerable distance from the café because there was no route through the bollards.
Members of the public can be heard criticising the municipality’s decision to install the bollards throughout the town centre, arguing that efforts to prevent illegal parking had gone too far.
Witnesses said they could not move the woman because they feared worsening her injuries, resulting in a delay in providing medical assistance.
The ambulance crew eventually carried the necessary equipment to the café on foot. They placed the injured woman on it, carried her to the ambulance and took her to Paphos General Hospital.
Those present said it was fortunate that the woman’s condition was not critical, arguing that a more serious case could have raised questions of negligence and poor decision-making.
