Message In A Bottle

The Lions Club of Gibraltar have now introduced to Gibraltar the MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE scheme – an  emergency medical information scheme primarily devised for the benefit of the elderly and vulnerable, including couples, living alone. It is a potential life saver to a wide range of individuals.

The introduction of the scheme was  welcomed by  the Medical Authorities and the Emergency Services since it offers the elderly and those in a vulnerable health condition a greater degree of security and confidence in an emergency, assisting in the provision of a more timely and appropriate response for treatment.

The scheme basically comprises keeping in the refrigerator (or some other conspicuously marked place) a plastic container holding a form with vital information about the user, such as details of his or her medical condition and any other relevant information he or she would like the Emergency Services to be aware of.

This may include ongoing medication and allergy information as well as the names of third parties to be contacted, which will, no doubt be a comfort to the user, family and friends.

The bottles, forms and alerting stickers are provided free of charge - the expense is borne by the Gibraltar Lions - and may be obtained initially from the Main Reception Counters at  St. Bernard’s Hospital, the Primary Health Care Centre and from the Lions Club of Gibraltar Headquarters (telephone number 20043318). In the near future these will also be made available in private medical clinics and local pharmacies.

Users are urged to keep their bottle in a fridge and place the alerting stickers on the outside of the fridge as well as conspicuously on their front doors.

The forms should be accurate and kept up to date – preferably with a copy of a last prescription. In cases of difficulty, users are advised to ask their doctors or nurses in the Health Centre for assistance.

The Message In A Bottle scheme is currently running successfully in the United Kingdom.

The Lions expect that, in time, the scheme will develop and extend to a larger section of the Community, since there are obvious advantages in using the bottles in other situations such as travel.

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