What do you think?
Rate this book
Paramédico
Around the world by ambulance.
Paramédico is a brilliant collection of adventures by Australian paramedic Benjamin Gilmour as he works and volunteers on ambulances around the world. From England to Mexico, and Iceland to Pakistan, Gilmour takes us on an extraordinary thrill-ride with his wild coworkers. Along the way he learns a few things, too, and shows us not only how precious life truly is, but how to passionately embrace it.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2011
21 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
About the author
Benjamin Gilmour
16 books26 followersBenjamin Gilmour was born in Germany in 1975, but has lived most of his life in Australia. He is an award-winning filmmaker and writer. His first book, Warrior Poets – Guns, Movie-making and the Wild West of Pakistan, was published in 2008, based on his experiences directing the feature film Son of a Lion. His best-seller Paramedico is published in numerous countries. His latest book is The Gap (Penguin Random House).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 24, 2018
It's funny how clueless we can be when it comes to the way other countries do things that we in the first world take for granted. I thought all ambulance services were basically the same, with only tiny differences between adoption of new drugs or new techniques, perhaps a doctor on this one but not on that one. But I guarantee I will never see ambulances used to transport live goats and butchered meat to the poor in Australia like they do in Pakistan, home to the world's largest private ambulance service.
Time and time again my eyes were opened reading Paramedico.
From South Africa where anything but a five-minute-scene-time is a fail (no matter what the injury, and closely monitored by stony-faced supervisors with stopwatches); to Macedonia where an elderly dehydrated and weak patient can be left at home on a drip with instructions on how to remove his own cannula; to Mexico where an elderly patient can break every bone in her body after being hit by a high speed car but gets no pain relief (but does get a ride to hospital filled with delays and jarring bumps).
Ambulance 'drivers' in London who spend their work days transporting wealthy people to doctor's appointments. Venetian paramedics who can't give CPR because it just doesn't work on a little boat. A Pakistani ED that miraculously clears in only a few hours after nineteen dead and fifty injured in a gruesome suicide bomb attack.
And the different work ethics! Honestly they're like something from a grim, dark comedy - drinking strong spirits on the job, strapping a colleague to a stretcher and dousing her in cold water for her birthday, jumping on each other in a huge pile, or selling gory photos to journalists; at the same time as some working 48 hour shifts, or dealing with ten or twenty gunshot murders in a shift. That's TEN or TWENTY. Gunshot murders. Per shift.
Equipment is hard to come by in many countries: some crews have to carefully ration their disposable latex gloves, many don't have drugs - not even the drugs that revert a cardiac arrest.
But perhaps my favourite eye-opener was how various control centres around the world treat their patients. In Macedonia call-takers abuse callers for 'not being sick or injured enough' and slam the phones down. In Pakistan, numbers are barred after a hoax call. A world away from the 'every caller wins an ambulance' of Australia.
If you like having your eyes opened, if you like learning about how tough others have it without actually having to experience it, then this is a must-read. The only bad thing I have to say is that the section on Pakistan went on for too long - but there was an awful lot to tell there, so I get how that can happen.
Time and time again my eyes were opened reading Paramedico.
From South Africa where anything but a five-minute-scene-time is a fail (no matter what the injury, and closely monitored by stony-faced supervisors with stopwatches); to Macedonia where an elderly dehydrated and weak patient can be left at home on a drip with instructions on how to remove his own cannula; to Mexico where an elderly patient can break every bone in her body after being hit by a high speed car but gets no pain relief (but does get a ride to hospital filled with delays and jarring bumps).
Ambulance 'drivers' in London who spend their work days transporting wealthy people to doctor's appointments. Venetian paramedics who can't give CPR because it just doesn't work on a little boat. A Pakistani ED that miraculously clears in only a few hours after nineteen dead and fifty injured in a gruesome suicide bomb attack.
And the different work ethics! Honestly they're like something from a grim, dark comedy - drinking strong spirits on the job, strapping a colleague to a stretcher and dousing her in cold water for her birthday, jumping on each other in a huge pile, or selling gory photos to journalists; at the same time as some working 48 hour shifts, or dealing with ten or twenty gunshot murders in a shift. That's TEN or TWENTY. Gunshot murders. Per shift.
Equipment is hard to come by in many countries: some crews have to carefully ration their disposable latex gloves, many don't have drugs - not even the drugs that revert a cardiac arrest.
But perhaps my favourite eye-opener was how various control centres around the world treat their patients. In Macedonia call-takers abuse callers for 'not being sick or injured enough' and slam the phones down. In Pakistan, numbers are barred after a hoax call. A world away from the 'every caller wins an ambulance' of Australia.
If you like having your eyes opened, if you like learning about how tough others have it without actually having to experience it, then this is a must-read. The only bad thing I have to say is that the section on Pakistan went on for too long - but there was an awful lot to tell there, so I get how that can happen.
November 11, 2019
An interesting and at times affecting read about pre-hospital care across continents, but it carries the vibe of a Contiki coach tour – by the time Gilmour scraped the surface of a culture or country, we were carted off to the next.
January 15, 2014
I had the pleasure of meeting Benjamin Gilmour, although briefly, at a booth at the EMS World Expo 2013 in Las Vegas. I bought his book and he signed it for me. Sadly I did not get to attend the viewing of his film Paramedico that was also shown one evening during this conference. I will purchase it online soon.
Told in non-linear multiple chapters, each showcasing a particular location, this book was very interesting in the different ways EMS is established, ran, and supported (or not supported) in different parts of the world. I had never really taken the time to ponder how every service is so varied, including whether or not the people staffing the ambulances are even medically trained or simply "ambulance drivers". I was also shocked at how cultural differences dictate the wearing, or not wearing, of safety equipment including gloves; how in some places of the world bodies, body parts, and salvageable patients are all loaded into the same ambulance and delivered to the hospital; and how some workers consider emergency response as a great responsibility to humanity while others just see it as a job for money.
The reverence and enthusiasm shown by the ambulance staff in Pakistan in particular was a powerful lesson, as was how some cultures call an ambulance for frivolous complaints while others know the value of help in an emergency and only call for serious problems.
If you are in the EMS business this a great book to read. Not heavy on the heroics or drama, it's an open view of the EMS world from different perspectives. All medics I know should read this book if for nothing else than to gain a reverence for the job we do for our fellow man and an appreciation of the proper tools that we have to do our jobs, even when we have tool envy of other services.
Told in non-linear multiple chapters, each showcasing a particular location, this book was very interesting in the different ways EMS is established, ran, and supported (or not supported) in different parts of the world. I had never really taken the time to ponder how every service is so varied, including whether or not the people staffing the ambulances are even medically trained or simply "ambulance drivers". I was also shocked at how cultural differences dictate the wearing, or not wearing, of safety equipment including gloves; how in some places of the world bodies, body parts, and salvageable patients are all loaded into the same ambulance and delivered to the hospital; and how some workers consider emergency response as a great responsibility to humanity while others just see it as a job for money.
The reverence and enthusiasm shown by the ambulance staff in Pakistan in particular was a powerful lesson, as was how some cultures call an ambulance for frivolous complaints while others know the value of help in an emergency and only call for serious problems.
If you are in the EMS business this a great book to read. Not heavy on the heroics or drama, it's an open view of the EMS world from different perspectives. All medics I know should read this book if for nothing else than to gain a reverence for the job we do for our fellow man and an appreciation of the proper tools that we have to do our jobs, even when we have tool envy of other services.
February 15, 2018
I am not going to lie, I had really high hopes for this book as it has been touted to me as "the best paramedic related novel you'll read" and I'm sure for many people that is the case. Unfortunately, I don't share the same opinion.
The writing style isn't exactly flowing and I find that makes it hard to immerse yourself in the situation the author is describing. It is interesting enough to be read once but probably never again and I would not recommend it to my friends.
I am an operational paramedic working in rural Australia and I found the comparison between countries and their respective Ambulance Services interesting, if not a little confronting. If anything, this book will make you grateful that you live in a country with appropriately government funded pre-hospital health care if you happen to be lucky enough to do so. The documentary that ties to the book (but has no actual tangible connections to it) is interesting enough, but again - watch it once and be confronted how it is in other countries and then probably never watch it again.
The writing style isn't exactly flowing and I find that makes it hard to immerse yourself in the situation the author is describing. It is interesting enough to be read once but probably never again and I would not recommend it to my friends.
I am an operational paramedic working in rural Australia and I found the comparison between countries and their respective Ambulance Services interesting, if not a little confronting. If anything, this book will make you grateful that you live in a country with appropriately government funded pre-hospital health care if you happen to be lucky enough to do so. The documentary that ties to the book (but has no actual tangible connections to it) is interesting enough, but again - watch it once and be confronted how it is in other countries and then probably never watch it again.
September 3, 2024
This book is a fascinating and brutal look at EMS around the world. Each chapter is amazing, beautiful and horrifying all at once. However, the way the author talks about patients I found pretty callous and lacking empathy, even by dark-humour paramedicine standards. I also disliked the casual way the author jokes about catcalling women over the PA and medics in Venice being distracted as they try to look up women's dresses as they boat under bridges.
Finally, I was disappointed that the author did not visit or really acknowledge Pittsburgh - the birthplace of modern paramedicine.
Overall a good read, but I felt with this book could have benefitted from a clearer vision for an overarching story, rather than random chapters thrown together.
Finally, I was disappointed that the author did not visit or really acknowledge Pittsburgh - the birthplace of modern paramedicine.
Overall a good read, but I felt with this book could have benefitted from a clearer vision for an overarching story, rather than random chapters thrown together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2022
As a paramedic, this is a fun read! I still talk about this book today with friends in the EMS space. Follow Gilmour as he travels the world and rides on ambulances in so many different places! I was fascinated to hear about different models and methods. It's somewhere between travel stories and EMS memoir... He keeps it light-hearted -- never waxing into politics or a scientific dissection of org structures. Just a fun collection of stories!
July 29, 2025
I am so glad I discovered this book! Ben has reminded me what I love about paramedicine & has shown me that I’m part of a greater community, seeing my silly little rituals done the world over has made me feel connected to the profession in a way I never have & he’s reminded me of the type of practitioner I strive to be. 10/10 recommend to everyone.
August 31, 2025
A fascinating story of an Australian paramedic who worked with paramedics in 7 other countries and made me glad to be in Australia! I found it a bit overlong, especially the chapter on Pakistan, but it was certainly interesting.
August 19, 2017
A must read for anyone in emergency medicine
What a great, well written book about the life and times of ems around the world. Everyone in emergency medicine should read this!
What a great, well written book about the life and times of ems around the world. Everyone in emergency medicine should read this!
November 5, 2018
So enjoyed reading Benjamin’s adventures ~ a truly ‘Goodread’ 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
October 4, 2021
An important and necessary read. This, combined with Gilmour's "The Gap" demystifies the world of paramedicine in a fantastic way.
July 17, 2022
Brilliant writer, every different chapter immersed me into the country that it is set in while also being super engaging on the paramedic side as well. Inspired me to volunteer in ambulance services around the world.
July 15, 2025
An interesting insight into the challenges paramedics face in different parts of the world. An easy read.
September 29, 2012
When disaster strikes, we all assume the emergency services will be there to help. But standards and services offered vary from country to country. Australian paramedic Benjamin Gilmour has spent 15 years travelling the world and working alongside ambulance teams, learning how they cope with dangerous conditions and minimal budgets. From his humble beginnings in the Australian outback to negotiating the staff sauna in Iceland, via one or two drunken incidents, Paramédico is a selection of tales from his travels.
Although there are a few amusing anecdotes, it’s not really a personal memoir but more of a look at ambulance services around the world that Benjamin has spent time with. There are a couple of moments where he treads a fine line between objective and judgemental but I don’t think this is intentional. It’s just that maybe I was expecting more of a compassionate tone. Overall, it’s a fascinating book and incredibly enlightening reading.
We take it for granted that we can phone an emergency number and a paramedic will arrive and look after you, administering pre-hospital care and delivering you safely to doctors. The NHS might have its problems but overall it is an amazing service. Reading Paramédico really highlights how good we’ve got here in Britain. Benjamin didn’t get a chance to work with London’s finest, and instead spends time with a private company whose service was unprofessional.
The large section of the book is devoted to his time in Pakistan where he spent time with both a government funded service and that founded by Abdul Sattar Edhi, considered a hero to the poor. Whilst interesting, I did feel this section was a little overlong and unstructured. Oddly enough, the better stories were in the second half; Iceland, Venice, Hawaii and Mexico. His Icelandic colleagues might not have a lot of action but Benjamin is more concerned by the daily 5 o’clock sauna that he would really rather avoid. In Venice, the ambulances come by water but have to negotiate hide tides, gondoliers and impossible to navigate city streets. And the struggling service in Mexico might just put you off heading there on holiday…
Although there are a few amusing anecdotes, it’s not really a personal memoir but more of a look at ambulance services around the world that Benjamin has spent time with. There are a couple of moments where he treads a fine line between objective and judgemental but I don’t think this is intentional. It’s just that maybe I was expecting more of a compassionate tone. Overall, it’s a fascinating book and incredibly enlightening reading.
We take it for granted that we can phone an emergency number and a paramedic will arrive and look after you, administering pre-hospital care and delivering you safely to doctors. The NHS might have its problems but overall it is an amazing service. Reading Paramédico really highlights how good we’ve got here in Britain. Benjamin didn’t get a chance to work with London’s finest, and instead spends time with a private company whose service was unprofessional.
The large section of the book is devoted to his time in Pakistan where he spent time with both a government funded service and that founded by Abdul Sattar Edhi, considered a hero to the poor. Whilst interesting, I did feel this section was a little overlong and unstructured. Oddly enough, the better stories were in the second half; Iceland, Venice, Hawaii and Mexico. His Icelandic colleagues might not have a lot of action but Benjamin is more concerned by the daily 5 o’clock sauna that he would really rather avoid. In Venice, the ambulances come by water but have to negotiate hide tides, gondoliers and impossible to navigate city streets. And the struggling service in Mexico might just put you off heading there on holiday…
July 8, 2023
I really enjoyed this book! It shares the same problem with other paramedic non-fiction, in that paramedics seem to hold a poor grasp of syntax and grammar. As a result, their books are often difficult to read as the sentences are too long or too clunky. However, once you looked past this book it was really enjoyable. As a paramedic student who loves travelling and concurrently studying a Diploma in Spanish, it was super interesting to see how ambulance services around the world operate. Each chapter was a unique snapshot into the day-to-day activities of various international ambulance services and emergency models.
However, in the Italy chapter Benjamin Gilmour makes a comment about looking up girls' skirts and how he and his colleagues would perv on the girls in Bondi (whilst on shift), and it just really freaked me out. I had to reread that paragraph several times for it to sink it, and I was very much grossed out. Kind of took away from the rest of the book if I'm honest.
However, in the Italy chapter Benjamin Gilmour makes a comment about looking up girls' skirts and how he and his colleagues would perv on the girls in Bondi (whilst on shift), and it just really freaked me out. I had to reread that paragraph several times for it to sink it, and I was very much grossed out. Kind of took away from the rest of the book if I'm honest.
January 18, 2013
If you think you know what paramedics do, read this book. The author has worked as a paramedic in varios countries including Mongolia, Mexico, Italy(Venice) and teaches you things about how medical care is viewed from a different perspective.
January 28, 2015
Even though I am not in the field of EMS, I enjoyed this book. It was funny and interesting at the same time. Just enough laughs to balance out the truly outrageous conditions that paramedics around the world work in. There is also a short film that was great, too.
July 7, 2014
Wonderfully interesting, especially if you hold a morbid fascination with all things Emergency Services. I loved learning about the effects culture has on Ambulance services and the training, facilities and equipment held by the different countries explored.
November 5, 2012
A fascinating insight into different cultures - I'd have thought human reactions to illness and injury were universal, but it seems not. The material on Pakistan was especially thought-provoking.
August 18, 2014
4.5/5
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews