PAY UP IN THE AMBULANCE, SAY AUSTRIAN EMERGENCY SERVICES

Jakarta Forum- Vienna, Jan. 31. On a ski holiday to Austria, remember to bring your boots, your hat and -- on the off-chance you might break a leg -- your bank card.

A German tourist who injured himself while skiing in the Tyrolean Alps this month said he was asked to swipe his bank card before he could be treated, local radio ORF reported Friday.

"During the ambulance ride, the crew started pushing buttons and then they said: `Sorry but we have to charge you 230 euros (320 dollars) now,`" said the 45-year-old holidaymaker from Berlin.

"They were obviously very embarrassed."

Austrian emergency services defended the measure, saying it was often difficult to track down payment from foreign tourists once they had returned home.

Now most ambulances are equipped with a machine to take card payments on the spot, they said.



Source: Copyright © ANTARA