What's the best way to curtail non-urgent calls for ambulances to ensure the vehicles are available for real emergencies?

When do you think it is an emergency?

One sure way is when you are suffering unbearable pain. I was suffering unbearable pain and two young doctors, top university grads a certain hospital, ran me through a series of tests, found nothing wrong & sent me home. The next day the pain was increasing. Called ambulance and was taken to the local hospital where I was sent into emergency where the older doctor found exactly what was wrong with me and hospitalized me.

Think I did right?

Get enough vehicles and competent staff. Patients may need ambulance service even if it is not an emergency. You have to cater to all situations. It's the job of the medics on the phone to hear all requests 24/24 and to prioritize, to give advice to take a taxi or wait the next day, or to dispatch the most adapted service (SDF, firemen, ambulance+ER staff, ambulance for 'not urgent cases'), or a doctors/paramedics going there with no ambulance. They also have to look for the available hospital/ER services... . In Japan they are late for that. In most areas, there is just nothing organized so people call an ambulance and they go to hospitals randomly

waiting for a bed has taken hours of just laying in the back of a cold ambulance.

Exactly., and on bad nights; patients die on the way or on the parking lot...

Introduce a law to require taxi services to give priority to medical emergencies

I lived in the same street as a day care center for disabled people. Some people are in wheelchairs or in wheelbeds, they can't go in a regular car. How do you want them to do ? The number of elderly increases and they will require even more "medical taxis".

The fee for non-emergency rides is the way to do it.

There is always a fee. Even for a real emergency. Let insurances decide on what they cover.

After all, if you push the emergency button on the JR you have to pay 10000 yen. Should be the same for those who call the ambulance or the police for that matter

The emergency call in JR will block the train and cause lots of troubles to countless passengers. But it is not the same to call the police or medical services for small cases, for advice, I don't think the question were about pranksters.

I have never waited for an ambulance, but waiting for a bed has taken hours of just laying in the back of a cold ambulance. Talk about low tech.

If you start charging people, some people will be reluctant to call, and some people who need the emergency services will no get them and maybe die.

1000 yen is too cheap but the idea is right.

Allow /establish private emergency services ( not covered by insurance). Establish hotline for seniors, since they are most likely to use emergency services, especially if they live alone. Encourage their neighbors to check up on them. Introduce a law to require taxi services to give priority to medical emergencies ( like when grandma wants a lift to the department store , but the taxi she called picks the grandpa with the stomachache instead, and she'll have to wait 20 more minutes. If there's a law, she can't complain or decide to choose another taxi company next time, because she'll know the other company would do the same). Make a "black list". Many of these non-emergency callers are regulars.

TheFu- exactly. spot on! If the emergency turns out to be fake, there should be a penalty. After all, if you push the emergency button on the JR you have to pay 10000 yen. Should be the same for those who call the ambulance or the police for that matter

Here's how:

"Please send an ambulance! I'm having an heart attack!"

Operator: Calm down sir.

"No, this is serious! I'm getting weaker"

Operator: Can you se a bright light?

"Yes, yes I can - and it's getting brighter"

Operator: Good, good. Now I want you to follow that light.

¥1,000 fee for non-emergency calls.

Education and good services for the elderly.