Nine
Paramedics is back for season seven – and for the first time the show heads to Western Australia.
Following emergency ambulance crews as they respond to Australians at the most challenging times of their lives, the observational documentary series shines a light on the people behind the uniforms.
One of those important people is paramedic Hwee, who was born in Malaysia and moved to WA when she was 11.
Speaking exclusively to New Idea, Hwee reveals that she wanted to do the show because she “went against the norm” of what kids that came from her background were expected to do.
“You don’t see many from my cultural background – especially women – doing this kind of job, so I want to show that it’s okay to follow this path,” she says, adding “I want to tell them to get off the norm and still do what you like and enjoy it.”
The paramedic of 13 years has a background in SES, and says there are so many rewarding aspects of her job that she’s looking forward to viewers to see.
“When you get in a job when there’s someone who’s seriously sick and you can just do something to help them and you just see that thing in that person, I find the most rewarding,” she says.
However, there are of course confronting aspects that come with the job.
“When I first started, I thought I was going to be challenged by guts and all that stuff,” she tells us.
Instead, the thing that she finds hardest is dealing with the elderly who have no support.
“We went to see an elderly patient in a nursing home, and I asked the staff if they had any family to contact for him and they told me he had no family or friends, and is just in care of the state,” she says.
“That always breaks my heart… the elderly who are left with no one to care for them, or they’ve come to end of life and there’s no one there for them.”
She adds that the stories that stick with her the most are the children having to call in emergencies when there are no adults around to help them.
“Once there was a 10-year-old girl who called and when we got there her mum was having a seizure, and all she could do was lie her down on the floor – luckily we got there in time,” she says.
What Hwee wants all Australians to know
Firstly, Hwee wants to shared the importance of knowing first aid – especially knowing how to use a defibrillator.
“There are statistics that show if someone collpases and needs CPR and nothing is done – for every minute there’s a 10% less chance of survival,” she tells us.
“It takes us quite a while to get to them but first compressions, early defib can make a difference to someone’s life,” she adds.
Hwee also wants to push the importance of not delaying calling the ambulance if you have chest pain – especially if you’re in a high risk category, meaning you’ve had a cardiac event before.
“We only have one heart and we have to take care of it, and you’re at such a high risk factor. I’d rather be called out and nothing is wrong – than being called when it’s too late,” she says.
Watch Paramedics Thursday, October 8 at 8.45pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
