A veteran died Monday after collapsing in the cafeteria of a Veterans Affairs hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico and waiting 30 minutes for an ambulance, the Associated Press reported.
Hospital officials confirmed Thursday to the AP that it took half an hour for an ambulance to be dispatched and transport the man to the emergency room. The other building was 500 yards, or a five minute walk, from the cafeteria.
VA spokeswoman Sonja Brown told the AP that staff had followed protocol by calling 911 when the veteran collapsed. That policy was under review, she said.
The agency has come under scrutiny in recent months amid allegations of long wait times and other systemic problems with veterans’ access to care.
