In the images of coronavirus patients that are being transferred by ambulance bus from Brabant hospitals to hospitals elsewhere in the Netherlands these days, one vehicle is particularly striking: the ambulance bus. The use of this bus is part of the GGB (Large-scale Medical Assistance).

The ambulance bus is owned by the three northern ambulance services (AMBER's) and has been in use since April 2016. It is an old bus from 2003 that has been converted and has all medical equipment and in which six patients can be treated simultaneously where necessary. The bus is used in accordance with ambulance care guidelines from code 10, or in the event of incidents with an expected number of victims of ten or more. 

a striking sight

A city bus, but with the appearance of an ambulance washed out. Six patients were brought from Brabant to the city of Groningen, complete with police security. Like every ambulance, the bus has blue flashing lights and a siren. Air conditioners and solar panels have been placed on the roof. And a central computer is built in the back of the bus that can monitor six treatment areas simultaneously.

The vehicle is stationed at Groningen Airport Eelde. This location was chosen because the bus should be able to reach anywhere in the Northern Netherlands in an hour. There is only one such bus in the whole of the Netherlands and was delivered in 2016 by Visser in Leeuwarden, a company that specializes in building ambulances. The bus is officially intended to get six mobile treatment places at the same time in case of emergencies.

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