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The semiconductor crisis is also hitting the

ambulance and medical transport sector squarely,

which has caused the renewal of older emergency vehicles to be delayed.

Because according to the Regulations of the Land Transport Management Law developed by Order PRE/1435/2013 of July 23, it is established "in its articles 32.a) and 36, that

vehicles dedicated to medical transport cannot exceed the maximum age of ten years counted from its first registration

, an essential condition for the granting and renewal of the technical-sanitary certification and, consequently, of the corresponding enabling authorization to carry out sanitary transport".

Therefore, ambulances older than 10 years cannot circulate.

The problem is that, after coming out of the pandemic and recovering somewhat in the demand for vehicles, the shortage of semiconductors has worsened, causing an increase in delays in waiting times not only for vehicles but for the different components and materials that make them. Bodybuilders need to condition a series vehicle so that it becomes a medicalized medical unit or a medical transport.

According to the census of the Ministry of Transport in Spain there are 10,000 ambulances and around 10% (1,000) will be 10 years old in 2022.

Moratorium for 2022

Hence,

the Government has established a moratorium for the entire year 2022,

so that ambulances with more than 10 can continue to provide their services until December 31.

What's more, the order has already been published in the BOE and refers to the fact that "vehicle manufacturers and bodybuilders encounter enormous difficulties in ensuring, in the short and medium term, the delivery times of the medical transport vehicles destined, in mostly, to the renewal of the fleets, replacing those that are older than ten years".

For this reason,

"it is urgent and necessary to temporarily relax the maximum age requirement for medical transport vehicles"

to guarantee the provision of the service.

"Consequently, a new fourth additional provision is added to the Order mentioned above, which allows vehicles dedicated to medical transport that are older than ten years as of January 1, 2022, to temporarily continue providing their services, until December 31 of that same year", reads the BOE.

insufficient term

From the sector,

ANEA, the National Federation of Ambulance Employers

applaud the measure but point out that the term

"does not mean extending a year that a vehicle over 10 years old can continue to circulate,"

explains Javier Rodríguez, the association's manager.

"It must be taken into account that

the vehicles that fulfilled in January have been stopped for three months until today

, with which there are stopped cars without being able to carry out an essential service. In addition, it is not a one-year deadline because the vehicles are 10 years old in January or October. Those who comply with it in November will only have a one-month moratorium," explains Rodríguez.

Anea requested a two-year moratorium for vehicles that are 10 years old

because "we are having delivery times for new vehicles of more than six months and we do not have a replacement vehicle."

Electric ambulances?

From different civil and environmental sectors, health transport has been asked to switch to the electric and ecological vehicle, since the ambulance is 99% diesel.

"

There is no 100% electric van that provides us with sufficient autonomy to guarantee the provision of health services in large cities".

It must also be taken into account "that the Natural Gas solution has become unfeasible with the rise in energy prices, gas has risen by 300%," says Rodríguez.

As for the

degree of renovation of the ambulance fleet of

an ambulance, it depends on its area of ​​action.

"A vehicle belonging to one of our associates who works for SUMA in Madrid is renewed every four years because it does not stop doing services all day and leaves with half a million kilometers. However, an ambulance that serves a town can fulfill 10 years old and being new because it does few services a day".

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