A Dundee man who collapsed in public following a drug overdose survived, despite an almost hour-long wait for paramedics.
The male suffered a near-fatal overdose on Albert Street but was saved by bystanders, including from nearby shops and addiction charity We Are With You.
It comes days after another overdose victim’s life was saved by a passer-by just a few hundred metres away near the Cowgate underpass.
Dundee first-aider backs calls for universal training after helping save man’s life
The Scottish Ambulance Service say the man’s condition was not considered life-threatening at first but paramedics arrived within six minutes when they were alerted his condition had worsened.
The organisation said it will contact the patient directly to apologise.
It is understood overdose-reversal drug Naloxone was used to revive him.
Dave Barrie, from We Are With You, said people in the community are worried after the incidents but stressed he does not believe the number of overdoses have risen recently.
“We Are With You took the lead in this situation and it was a really good collaboration and team effort between Boots and ourselves.
“The ambulance did take longer than usual but normally they are extremely quick with overdose situations.
“As far as I know, the figures for overdoses are roughly the same as previous years.
“Unfortunately it’s still going on but there is a real commitment to stop it.”
It is understood the man suddenly became unwell while walking along the street in the afternoon and those nearby rushed to help him.
An ambulance was called and he was revived.
Mr Barrie added: “What is positive this year is that there are new measures in place to support people after a non-fatal overdose.
“There are now immediate follow-ups and intervention between services including medical support, police, and charities, to prevent it happening again.
“The evidence is pretty strong that people who have had a non-fatal overdose can go on and have a fatal one.
“I definitely think support for non-fatal overdoses is helping. It will save lives.”
The improved support was one of the key recommendations put in place following a critical review of support for addicts in Dundee.
Mr Barrie said victims and their families are also given training in the use of Naloxone.
Those at risk are given supplies of the drug, which has no psychoactive properties or intoxicating effects, to protect them in the worst case scenario.
Mr Barrie said: “Scotland was one of first countries in the world to roll out a national programme for Naloxone training. It has been around for a while now but we always stress how important it is.
“I don’t want to say much about the clinical aspects in this recent incident but for any overdose, Naloxone can and does save lives.
“We need people to stop and help if they see someone unresponsive. It could be the difference between life and death.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “We received a call to attend an incident at 1414 hours on July 21 which was initially triaged as non-life threatening.
“It was later upgraded to an immediately life-threatening emergency at 1456 hours and the crew arrived within six minutes. We would like to apologise for any delay the patient experienced and will be contacting them directly.”
