Data from the Mobile Emergency Care Service (Samu) of the Federal District show that, year after year, the occurrences of false emergencies, the popular prank calls, decrease. Despite the reduction in cases, this type of call is still a reality at the 192 Call Center and ends up hindering the search for those who really need assistance.
In 2019, the center recorded 67,808 inappropriate calls; in 2020, the numbers were still high, around 68 thousand, and, in the following years, a decline was noted: in 2021, 51,744; in 2022, 26,443; and another 8,614 false calls until August 2023. For the director of Samu-DF, Victor Arimateia, the ideal scenario would be zero prank calls, but actions to raise awareness of the importance of the emergency service have been important for the drop in numbers.
“Analyzing in general, hazing in Samu-DF has decreased, largely due to awareness actions. Every year, we carry out the Samuzinho project, focused on educating children, young people and adults about the importance of Samu and when to call the service. It is a series of actions in schools and the media that indirectly impact this reduction. Zero hazing is our goal,” he says.
Impact of prank calls
Hazing seems like a light and relaxed joke to some people, but it can cost a human life by harming the work of Samu attendants. Instead of responding to an emergency, they end up wasting time on a false emergency call.
Trained and experienced operators are able to identify the signs of a prank call. Most false calls are closed in the first service filter. “The Medical Regulation Assistant Technician (TARM), who provides the first service, is the filter to stop prank calls. They record the registration and data of calls in the system and the majority of unwanted calls end up in TARM. However, even so, they cause losses, congesting care and causing professionals to stop providing assistance or delay in helping those who really need it”, highlights Arimateia.
If the call passes through this first filter, the second is carried out by the regulatory doctor, who seeks to understand the situation with specific questions about the victim’s health condition. The last barrier is when, depending on the information collected by the doctor, the resource is activated to provide care.
“Unfortunately, this is the worst case scenario. Sometimes, the doctor cannot rule out sending the team, and it has happened that we arrive at the scene and identify that it is a hoax. This entire service process takes more than 25 minutes, time that could be made available to those who need it most, given the increase in demand from Samu and Firefighters over time”, concludes the director of the emergency service.
Decree provides for fine
In April, the Government of the Federal District published Decree No. 44,427/2023, which punishes perpetrators of prank calls. The measure regulates Law No. 6,418/2019, which defines the application of an administrative fine for improper activation of telephone services for emergency response and firefighting or police incidents.
The fine will be applied to the owners of telephone lines from which prank calls are made to telephone services for emergency response and firefighting or police incidents, as well as to those responsible for this type of call via public telephones, when identification is possible.
When a call made is considered a prank call, the fine will be one minimum wage, currently worth R$1,302. If firefighting or police emergency services are called, the fine will be three minimum wages, which corresponds to R$3,906.
According to the decree, any improper action made in bad faith or that is not intended to justify emergency care will be considered hazing. There are reservations only in cases of justifiable error.
With information from Agência Brasília
The post Even in the fall, prank calls harm Samu emergencies appeared first in Jornal de Brasília.
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